I Prefer Spearmint
by gripsyched
Summary: Your typical 'an OC drops from the sky into the OHSHC world' story. But really, you have got to be kidding me.
1. Prologue

I prefer Spearmint.

AU: because I really wanted to explore this idea. And also try out something new. Like a Studio Ghibli film, you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club :D

* * *

"Excuse me, can I have a cup of apple juice?" I asked, looking up at the smiling flight attendant.

I swear, flight attendants must have it hard- having to deal with balancing issues (not that they had problems with it, I guess) and awkward friendly-show-all-your-teeth smiles. And if anyone were to be mean to them, they wouldn't be able to do anything, would they? They'd just have to bear it through- I mean, we're all stuck in this chunk of metal, floating in the air for a few hours, right? It's pretty much a big deal- especially if they've had a bad day- they can't just open up a parachute and jump off the plane's emergency exit, can they?

Speaking of which, a certain person with long (and white!) hair is sobbing dramatically onto me. I would guess that she has plans for that parachute, but then again you can never assume too much of strangers. I hate randomly allocated seats by the different counters; now I have to deal with a melodramatic stranger.

"Umh, excuse me," I said, trying to discreetly nudge her head away.

Glancing up at the time, I sighed. Three more hours to go. It's a good thing that Singapore's quite near to Japan, no? I'm kind of excited for this exchange programme, of course. My buddy came over five months ago, and now it's time for me to invade her house for three weeks. She's totally cool, and adorable. A little melodramatic, but still.

"You don't understand," the stranger cried, tugging on my sleeve. "My babies are acting all dumb and stupid and- and- _they can't see that they love each other so much!_ Oh my feels-"

"You're leaning on me. Oh- is that Merlin? I didn't know that they offered this show," I remarked, peeking at her screen.

"Yes- yes- yes, oh my _god_ those idiots still don't know-" she wailed, albeit softer, as the flight attendant brought me my cup of apple juice.

I accepted the cup, and took a sip, without spilling the divine juice from the heavenly apple juice factories of chemicals and plastic packaging. The stranger continued to sob in agony, contorting her body. I sighed. Three hours is a long time! I spared the stranger a glance, and decided that if I had to force the parachute onto someone, it would be her. Geez. Melting all over someone is an inconvenience, even if your heart was cracking at the second-hand embarrassment from your favourite show.

"Oh. Wait. I remember the ending. The blonde guy dies," I muttered- a wrong move, apparently.

Her glare made me reconsider forcing the parachute on her; I think I might need it more, now.

"Look, you didn't have to remind me of that!"

Wow, so now she's blaming me? I mean, yeah, that _was_ low, but hey! I need my beauty sleep too!

"And you didn't have to cry all over me," I replied, shrugging my stiff shoulder. "Gee, you're quite devoted to these fictional characters, aren't you?"

"What do you know about fictional characters! They're just as human as we are! They're just as real! You don't understand it, do you! You're all high and mighty and _oh-so_ practical that you're void of all emotions and imagination! Those people are characters who you have to fill up-" she started to rant, which was honestly the last thing I wanted to happen.

"I'm just not as invested as you are, okay? I just don't see the value in-"

"They teach us a lot of things. A lot of important lessons," she paused dramatically, and then completely altered the course of her rage orbit. "So, if you had to go into a _fictional_ world, which would you prefer?"

I stayed silent at this, planning to ignore her. Yeah, but- well, why not just fib her with something and get these three hours over in _peace and beauty sleep_? I really want that lemon cake they were serving just now.

…

Hm.

The Hunger Games was definitely out.

Harry Potter… might be a choice, but it depends on the year- and people die all the time.

Sailor Moon? I'm not interested in reviving myself from the end of the world. Not when I have to do it, what, (how many seasons are there-) _five_ times?

umh, what else is there…

Ah!

Ouran High School Host Club! It's super duper rich and fun and happy, isn't it? I mean, they even had an episode specially dedicated to _cavities_.

Right.

It'll be nice, then?

Plus, there'll be lots of lemon cake.

Not that I'm invested in lemon cake, of course.

I turned back to the stranger, who was regarding me curiously.

"Eh, Ouran High School Host Club, I guess?" I shrugged.

She smiled briefly- and it looked like the smile of a very-pissed-off flight attendant who was trying not to force a parachute on me, all the while shoving me into the Red Sea. I didn't like that smile.

But for the rest of the journey, she left me alone, and so- I drifted off into a very comfortable slumber.

* * *

Being hurried off the plane, while still being in a sleepy mode, was a torture. I had no idea where I was, or where my friends were- I swear, Nicole's probably pissed at me for eliminating the airplane's supply of apple juice. Or something. Not that she's familiar with my modus operandi.

I found myself standing by the conveyor belt, waiting for that familiar teal-like luggage. Geez. It's eight in the morning, and I'm just really tired. Blame me for attempting to drain the airplane's supply of apple juice, will you? I'm only fourteen, yo. Can't blame my saintly teenage hormones. Whatever. I think I need my lip balm. It should be four degrees out there right now. Bah.

Digging into my bag, I found something else- it was a folder. Taking it out, I scanned through its dull-looking exterior.

"_'Moe Moe Top Secret Mission?'_ That's… lame."

Flipping through the contents made me realise that it was a very detailed account of a person's profile. To be more specific, it was my file. Mine. Right. How many 'Rachel Cho's have you heard of? Probably a lot. I think there was a whole list when I searched myself on facebook.

But anyway, here's the catch.

I had no file of this sort to begin with.

And guess what?

I was to be called 'Mao Fuwa', a student returning to my homeland after my parents met with an accident in Singapore. And I was to be studying in Ouran Academy. And I was supposed to be sixteen.

You have got to be kidding me.

I didn't realise that I signed some form of contract to be in some sort of Matrix-Yakuza business.

What the hell?

Wait.

Ouran Academy…

"I did say that I would prefer 'Ouran High School Host Club', right?" I murmured, hastily grabbing my luggage off the conveyor belt. "I'll just need to find Nicole and we'll write a fanfic or something-"

I'm all alone in this sea of tourists. Great. Now, I just need to get to the information counter and act like a pitiful lost brat while our group's teacher comes rushing for me, and Nicole comes- bulldozer and all (with a butterfly net to complete the image).

"Fuwa Mao-san, am I right?" a voice called my alias' name out.

I turned- only to see a vaguely familiar face.

The glint in his glasses made me shiver, as he smiled and said, "I'm Ootori Kyoya, and I will be escorting you to Ouran Academy."

What.

The.

Hell.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1

I Prefer Spearmint. Chapter 2

AN: Yay :D I fell asleep last night, trying to figure out how the parallel universe idea would work. Enjoy (yes, enjoy Rachel's misery).

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

* * *

Someone's going to be pulling out a camera and a microphone and shoving them impolitely into my face while asking me how it's like to be tricked. I hope that that someone happens to be Nicole. Really. Please. Nicole. Please tell me you hired a hot guy and dressed him up like Ootori Kyoya and that you're apologetic for dumping me in this sea of perfume.

I'm waiting, Nicole.

"Fuwa-san, are you alright?" or so he asks.

"Ootori Kyoya-san, I'm… fine." I'm speaking Japanese pretty fluently. It looks like this language barrier wouldn't be a problem. The only question is, if Kyoya was considered some really rich and privileged and honourable person, why would he come to fetch me? Does the file cover that?

"Is that so? Please, follow me. I believe our chauffer is waiting by the gate." And with that, he spun on his heel and walked off.

Strutted away, more like.

Yeah, really gentlemanly to let his guest struggle with her baggage- and then have a few mysterious-looking bodyguards come and snatch the luggage away. I rolled my eyes and followed, anyway. I really need to get to the bottom of this. It has to be a really elaborate joke, right? Unless-

_That white-haired stranger!_

She must- she must have been- she _was the one who put me in all this trouble_! And now she's gone! Well, that's really nice payback. Remind me never to spout out spoilers.

"Fuwa-san?"

"Right, right- I'm coming."

I hope it'll all turn out to be alright.

* * *

Next to Kyoya's classy-looking, sure-to-be-some-branded-or-expensive suit-thing, my Yale hoodie and normal jeans suddenly look pretty pathetic. But it's alright; my good looks make up for them. Yeah. Or it just adds to the 'commoner' atmosphere. They do fetishize commoner culture, don't they? That's kind of dumb.

"So, Fuwa-san, have you been to Yale?" Is he questioning my credibility?

"Yeah, once, for a competition." I'm pretty impressed that my Japanese is actually fluent enough for me to carry out a conversation. Thank you, convenient plot of this elaborate and shameless joke.

I have another theory for why I'm here; I'm actually hallucinating all of this. The stranger must have been in cahoots with the flight attendant, taking care to slip some sleeping/LCD pills or something into my apple juice. And then, making me consider a fictional world so that I would subconsciously remember it and then recreate a story in my dreams/hallucination. How…scary. And also pretty flimsy for a plan. I'm disappointed.

I pinched myself, and realised that my theory was as unrealistic, after all. What was her motive? Just because I spoiled the show for her (though I'd bet that that was her third time rewatching. Or something)?

"A competition?"

"Yeah, a competition." Way to go, conversation killer Rachel! Here you have it, ladies and gentlemen- Rachel Cho, mercilessly slaying off all kinds of conversation since the early 2010s.

"What kind of competition was it?" I think this guy is getting irritated, though I can't see it since he's smiling so happily and all- like a flight attendant!

"You remind me of a flight attendant." Okay, crap. "Ah. Actually, you can ignore that."

The Shadow King smiles.

Eh.

"Well, it was more of a debate-and-essay-and-research-on-the-world-and-current-affairs competition." Very enlightening indeed, Rachel.

At least he's not taking out that black notebook and immortalizing your finest moment of shame. Or is he? Maybe he has a third arm? Not that I care. I've had enough of embarrassing moments.

Focus, Rachel! You're stuck in some kind of fictional world- or so you assume- well, then. I might have the upper hand against my current environment, considering that I do know what happens in every episode, don't I? But that requires me to know which episode I'm in, or if I'm not. There are twenty six episodes in the entire series, and club activities take place- wait, I don't actually have that information yet.

"So, Ky- I mean, Ootori-san, are you in any club?" Smooth. I'm actually professionally trained in interrogation, you know. Even if I _am_ fourteen.

"Why, yes. I am in the Host Club." Did his glasses just glint again? Dude, I wear glasses (sometimes) and even they don't _glint_.

"Ah. What do you do, then, in the Host Club?" Natural curiosity follows! Man, I should totally be a con artist or something.

And then he launches into a long and detailed (all the while sounding politely interested/cultured) explanation of the activities in the Host Club. But honestly, it could be quite plainly summarised into two words; 'frivolous cosplay'. Okay, maybe more. But I need to get back to the point.

"Y-yeah, so, how often are your sessions?"

"Once every week."

Umh. "I'm not very well acquainted with Ouran's culture, so when are the school holidays?"

"Well, we have the summer holidays in the month August, the winter holidays from Christmas day to the seventh of January, and spring break from mid March to mid April. And of course, various other days."

So, let's say that the sessions occur once a week, and there are around 365 - 30 - 14 - 30 - 5, which equates to… 286 days. Divide that by 7, and we get… okay, I give up. I think the answer is 40 weeks or so, but there are only 26 episodes. Which means that there are 14 episodes that happen without me knowing what happens. If I don't manage to alter the timeline or plotline, then the remaining 26 episodes will go on as planned, and after that-

I froze.

What happens after that? Haruhi and Tamaki will get their Happily-Ever-After, and the Host Club will continue, but- _how long will I have to stay here?_

This isn't good.

I don't even- I need to- am I even in the same dimension? Wait, I must be in the same dimension, even if Japanese anime _is_ 2D- I'm feeling pretty three dimensional right now. I'm probably in a different universe. Like a parallel universe of sorts! With minor adjustments, of course. But it still sounds iffy and weird.

Wait.

If I'm in a parallel universe, doesn't that mean that there's another Rachel Cho? Or that maybe another 'Mao Fuwa' exists somewhere… I'm confused.

Ah! Right- which episode am I in right now? Have I overshot the timeline?

"Ootori-san, you're still a second year, right?"

"Of course, Fuwa-san." He smiled. "Only, what do you mean by 'still'?"

"A slip of the tongue. I'm not very used to the Japanese language, that is." I'm not sure if I should tell him- but if _I_ don't even know where I am, or how I got here…

Considering that I'm in a different world, there must be some way I got into here. And when did that happen? It couldn't have been before I boarded the plane, or when I got to the airport. Perhaps the transaction happened during the flight. And if the white-haired stranger was involved, then it must have been after our conversation, during the last three hours when I slept.

This is exciting!

Even if I'm worried- I mean, Ouran Academy doesn't have anything life-threatening, does it? It's just a bunch of rich kids and cake and lots of fluffy stuff, right! I'll be alright here. I just need to read the file in greater detail.

"We're approaching the school, Fuwa-san. I can only escort you to the office before school starts."

Great! My very own shojou anime and beautiful castle~ I mean, it's pink and all, but pink is a pretty colour, especially if the light hits it right! I think they made quite a good choice by centering its colour scheme on pink. Pink is a pretty colour! Many fanfics might criticise it for looking like a 'Barbie playhouse', but I find it very elaborate and brilliant- c'mon, the pink looks like it's shimmering! Just what you'd expect from a bunch of rich people!

And cherry blossoms! Ah, I feel like I'm in a fairytale already~

"Thank you, Ootori-san."

"We will be having our Host Club sessions after school today, so feel free to find us."

I nodded- should I be interfering with the plot? Ah, screw whatever time and space continuum! Even if that phrase has nothing to do with whatever this situation is! I'll leave the brooding to later. I've got a whole school to figure out! There was a rose garden, right? Nicole would be really happy if she were here~

Could Nicole be here? Maybe our entire group was transported here- but that destroys my theory, since I'm blaming the stranger for whatever that has happened, right? Right.

We'll figure that out, later~

Crap, I'm really feeling the impacts of being in a shojou anime. I can feel my eyes turning into little hearts. Help.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 2

I Prefer Spearmint: Chapter 3

AN: I'm on a roll :D yay~ Replying to the only two comments (for now) of the fic: Thank you! I'm really glad you guys enjoyed it~ I've read a few fics with people dropping into the Ouran-verse, but it's cool to know that this one's more unique~ yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC~

Enjoy!

* * *

"Ah, you must be Fuwa Mao-san, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Here's your uniform, and here's your student card- just for identification and attendance checking, you know. Also, here's a map of the school. Please feel free to explore and tour the school. Have a nice day!"

The counter girl is pretty nice.

And cute.

Also, now that I think, Kyoya looks pretty hot.

Just saying.

I tried on the dress, and pulled up my winter stockings. Prancing out into the hallways (which were quite conveniently _unsheltered_, I felt the first blast of the autumn wind, and laughed. Spinning around in the courtyard of the Administrative Block, I really felt like a little kid and a princess all over again. Not that I was once a princess, but I was crowned 'Princess Rachel the peasant slug' by Nicole, so.

Actually, I feel kinda cold.

Maybe I should request for the male uniform. But oh god- this feels really nice and happily princessy. Do I pick style or comfort? What a hard choice. Living in old-tropical-Singapore has me used to shorts and baggy shirts while I slugged all over the couch. But then again, I never really got the chance to wear dresses. Maybe I should alternate. They never really mentioned that in the rules, did they? Well, _screw gender rules_ I'm 'Princess Rachel the peasant slug', of course gender rules don't apply!

And with that, I walked into the office to request another set of the male uniform.

But of course, I kept the female uniform on, because _damn did I feel like a rich Swanlake dancer._ And that feels good, for someone who has balance issues.

You know, I'm a little… wary. I figured that they would have people to guide me along this school, and the map they've given me is… well, if they had passed it on to someone else, they might have found it instructive- but the thing is that I'm horrible at map-reading. And mind-reading.

Which reminds me that I need to read the file in greater detail.

Let's see…

* * *

I am completely geared up for my 'Moe Moe Top Secret Mission'.

But what sort of a name is 'Mao Fuwa'? It sounds weird. And not sweet like, let's say- 'Hikari Ono' and 'Yuuka Asami' and- okay fine, I'll admit that I'm a great fan of the Sera Myu musicals, okay. They're really great singers.

But it's not fun when you realise that you're fourteen years old, and supposed to be taking up lessons that sixteen year olds take. English would probably be easy, but Math? Chemistry? Science? No. I hope I'll be able to wing it. It says that Mao Fuwa is pretty smart for her age. Or at least a straight-A student. It also says that she's rich, but the money is kept out of her reach- until she's 21, that is. Well, two years faster to reaching my- (well, Mao Fuwa's) bag of gold.

And currently, guess who's keeping me well-fed and sheltered? The Ootori Corporations.

That's right.

They've decided to 'sponsor' me, out of charity. Which is why I'll forever be indebted to them- and probably why I'm not stuffed into an orphanage for being parent-less. I'm pretty suspicious, though. What could I do for them? I don't think Mao Fuwa's parents were related to them, were they? Maybe. Or maybe I'm the secret princess to some ancient treasure and they need me to operate a certain silver crystal or something.

Nope.

But here's the catch: I'm not engaged to any of the Ootori brothers! At least- that's what the file says. With ten exclamation marks. But that's how people's situations usually go, right? I mean, in fanfictions, they get engaged and fall in love with their fiancé… or fall in love with someone else. I hear that everyone gets engaged to either Mori or Kyoya. Meh. I'm only fourteen anyway. But if I'm not here in this world to develop my character as a love interest or a damsel-in-distress, then why am I here? (Inserts stunned silence and gasping into silk handkerchiefs.)

Kicking-ass, of course.

Except that nobody's got the booty here.

I think.

I can't really see, with all that silk coats and stuff.

I miss Nicole. Except that I'd never tell her, and she also hasn't got the booty.

"Look at her!" Okay, crap- I've been sighted- what do I do- wait, I'm not in 'commoner rags' or any… peculiar fashionable getup, so I should be safe, right? "Do you think she's from Yale University?" Blame the Yale hoodie.

"Nah, she looks too young." You mean short. But you're right, anyway.

Apparently you're not supposed to wear hoodies over your uniforms. Silk coats, yes. But hoodies (comfortable, revered, worshiped, warm, fluffy hoodies?), no. I should probably move my fashion-disaster-of-a-butt.

* * *

Did you know that you can actually waste away three hours on Candy Crush? Fun fact, now proven true. And I think I should go over to the Host Club. But I'm not supposed to know where it is. So I should ask someone, right? Right.

"Excuse me," I called out to a random dude in the hallway.

He turned around, and- oh my god oh my god oh my god it's Haruhi. Haruhi. I'm not supposed to know her right- or her gender. His. Right. Right. I'm just an innocent person. And I need to ask where the Host Club is. Keep calm-

"Hey," I said, smiling. "Do you know where the Host Club is? Though it's a club to entertain female members of the society. Not that I doubt your masculinity, since you're a guy, right, but yeah, today looks like a good day to crush gender rules and-"

"Calm down. I'm a host at that club-"

"Never would have guessed! Not that it's an insult-"

"Please come this way," she- _he_ (constant brainwashing will affect the way you behave) said, laughingly.

"S-so, what's your name?" That's a relatively innocent question, right? I can't keep assigning her-_him_ as 'random dude' in my brainwashed mind, right?

"Fujioka Haruhi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, I'm- Fuwa Mao. Nice to meet you, too," I introduced. "So, what's going on today? In the Host Club. If you might know."

"I'm not very sure. I don't think we'll be dressing up today."

"That's nice, too."

"So, Fuwa-san, if you don't mind, have you been frequenting the Host Club lately? I don't think I have seen you anywhere."

"I'm new. I'll be starting school tomorrow. Ootori-san told me to go to the Host Club after school ended. Not that I know him well, but his family is sponsoring me. Yeah." That much information, I should know, right?

"Oh, so you know Kyoya-senpai?"

"Not well." And yet another conversation brutally slaughtered!

She- okay, I give up- grinned at me, and opened the doors of the Host Club. Rose petals flew at us, and I sighed- no, really. Petals. Pretty petals. If I wasn't wearing a hoodie, I might look like a romanticised pastel picture. Except that I still look as good- and my hoodie resents that revelation.

"Welcome- ah, it's only Haruhi- and another kitten!"

"Uh. Meow?" Or do they say 'nyan' here?

"Fuwa-san, I see you found your way here." Kyoya beamed at me, even as his glasses glinted.

"Eh? Kyo-chan, who is that?" Cue the cute boy- I didn't really like his live action alter ego, but this version is just too adorable oh god.

"Hello everyone, I'm Fuwa Mao. It's nice to meet you." At this, I braced myself for Tamaki's mushy words.

"Ah, my princess- your beauty makes the morning sun look like the dull shadow of the moon." Did he just- did he just reference Mulan (dark side of the moon)? But honestly, I lost him after the third word of that sentence.

"Uh, thank you?" Right, Rachel- you need to blend in! Act all flustered and blushy so that they'll leave you alone and you won't affect the plotline of the story! "Ah, Tamaki-sama~"

God, I'm going to vomit.

"Fuwa-san, you know Tamaki?" Haruhi asked.

Crap. Blew my cover! What do I do-

"I did my research…? Like, basic asking around. Nothing too deep. I don't google people, you know. I just- I just asked around, because Ootori-san told me to come to the Host Club after school, and I needed to know more about it, so yeah," I finished lamely.

"Do you have…" one of the twins said.

"Split personality disorder?" the other continued.

"Why do you say that? And besides, coming from you two, that's rather rich." I shrugged. Wait, did I just _pun_?

Oh my god. I did. Ladies and gentlemen, the genius brain of Rachel Cho's. I swear, I'm going to put it up on my college application that I'm really cool and my brilliance can out-sparkle the rest of the world. Look at my mighty and majestic glow.

"Anyway, who would you like to designate as your host? Would you like Tamaki, the princely type; Hikaru and Kaoru, the devilish type; Mori-sempai, the wild type; Honey-sempai, the loli-shota type; or Haruhi, the natural type?" Kyoya asked.

"Wait, I have to designate a host?"

"Please do." That was more of an order than anything else.

"Umh…" I started to think.

Did I want to be coddled in compliments? Nope. That meant that Tamaki was out. Did I want to entertain myself by fetishizing over incestuous acts? Nope. Cross the twins out! Did I want some quiet? Maaaaybe. Coddle a kid? Not really. Have a nice chat with the (quite possibly) only sane person in this room? Yeah, that sounded nice.

But what about the devil himself? Nah, it's not like I wouldn't be speaking to him anyway. And besides, who'd want to be cursed with seven years of bad luck?

"Mori-senpai," I said, glancing up at the (obnoxiously) tall host.

At least he won't talk while I read through my file again. There's something really strange about that, and I can't understand. I just can't figure out what's wrong with it (says me, even if I _did_ play around with Candy Crush for three whole hours). I'm tired.

I sat down on one of the plushy armchairs (like those that sink in in the Starbucks café). And watched as Mori join in with Honey's antics. The hordes of fangirls who were flailing over the cousins were so noisy. I think I need more apple juice. I wonder if they serve apple juice here? Not those kind of expensive-hand-peeled apple juices, of course. Just the normal, sweetened types. I looked down at the red tea in my cup again, and groaned. I wouldn't want to cause Haruhi any trouble, would I?

Judging by how Haruhi was already a host, I'd say I'm already past the first episode. The Host Club isn't Bali-themed, so that means it's not the second episode… Then again, this could be an 'in-between episodes', right?

"Mori-senpai, have you guys dressed up as Bali… inhabitants yet?" I asked.

"No."

Ah. That means I'm in between the first and second episode. That's cool.

"Bali?" Kyoya asked, from somewhere behind me.

I grinned. Well, if there was one way to go along with the plotline, might as well accelerate it! And then, maybe- if this ended, I would be able to get out of this world! "I guess. If you wanted to show off your charms, which is precisely what you're doing with this club, then maybe you'd want to follow how people dress in tropical lands, seeing as they do reveal a fair bit of skin. And then, Bali- because- because it's magical? At least, that's how they've advertised themselves."

He glanced at me, and gave one of his vague smiles. And then, he excused himself before writing something down in his notebook. Did I… say something wrong? Perhaps, because I seemed like an unqualified advisor and a little scrawny teenager… And that took away the credibility of my words. And so, maybe episode two would never come!

Mom, Dad… I might have screwed up the space-time continuum.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 3

I Prefer Spearmint: Chapter 4

AN: This is short, compared to the previous chapter. It's more of a late-night musing than anything else, I guess. A little angsty, but I guess that's how everything flows~

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy.

* * *

After a long day, Kyoya dropped me off at an apartment suite that his family's company owns. Of course, I'd be an idiot to really believe that he'd let me stay with his family. Oh, fear the possible-assassin! Fear the possible-seductress! Fear me! Great ol' Princess Rachel the peasant slug. He explained how the apartment's controls work, and left. He offered to bring me a few helpers, but I declined.

I'm not sure how long I can keep up that act- I'm a little tired. I'll unpack after a nap, then. Without changing, I settled onto the bed and slept for the next few hours.

I had a weird dream about dogs and chocolate, and about how I was running up a mansion that was built in a submarine. I think I died three times while facing off a gigantic sea marshmallow. I forgot almost everything that happened- including the sub-romantic plot! How horrible is that! I think that an androgynous fellow confessed his/her undying love to me, but I'm not sure what happened. Either I slapped him/her, or we kissed.

When I woke up, the whole room was dark, in a bluish tint. And I was alone.

I felt alone.

And a pang of hunger, of course.

"I'm only fourteen," I muttered out to the walls around me. "I can't do this."

I tried not to cry. Because I'm sure that a lot of people would love to be in my shoes, right? Being rich, alone, without nagging parents and irritating siblings, and affiliated with a bunch of rich, handsome kids. (Haruhi didn't count, but I guess I'd just ignore that fact for the while.) I had an apartment suite all by myself, and I could speak fluent Japanese, adding onto the languages that I already spoke while in Singapore.

While I was at home.

Crap- I should stop thinking about such depressing news. But I needed to know what happened to the world I once lived in? Did time stop? Did it go on? What about Nicole- what about my buddy? Would they call the police? I mean, they'd have to. And they'd have to organise a search party. Mom and dad would be freaking out, and I'm sure that Roland (my younger brother) would be slightly phased out by my 'disappearing act'. And then they'd have lost another child of the Cho family.

They'd forget me- and I'd forget them, too.

If no one was going to know- if no one was going to call me by my real name, Rachel Cho, I would soon forget myself. I'll be stuck in here, forever- and I have _no idea how to get home._

I want to go home- and I want to cry.

It's okay, Rachel.

Rachel.

Rachel.

Rachel.

Rachel- look, you'd have to take a bath and hang up that uniform, and then get food. If you're going to starve out here in this ridiculously expensive suite, you won't be able to get back.

I'm only fourteen.

And I have to get through this mess-

I miss mom. And dad. And Nicole's going to scream at my empty coffin and then she'll go on, trying not to think of a peasant slug that she crowned Princess. I chuckled, and regretted not accepting Kyoya's offer to bring around a few helpers. But it'll all turn out fine, right? At least I'm not in The Hunger Games or something.

"Get up, Rachel," I said to myself- feeling empowered just by calling my own name. "You gotta live and eat and slug around like the peasant slug you are."

I'm Rachel Cho, fourteen, a Princess peasant slug, and I'm going to get through this.

But first, I'm going to have to unpack. I'm glad that the contents of my luggage were still the same- another link between me and home. I decided to slug around in my usual wear, because it was too freaking cold out there for me to wander about and get lost. The apartment suite is in a business district, and had lots of malls and quaint (does anyone still use this word) little markets. School was a ten-minute ride away.

The toastiness of the entire suite convinced me that shorts were going to be much more liberating and suited to the apartment. I quickly showered- a silly notion that the toilet was supposed to be haunted and that I might die if I shut my eyes for a moment too long. For the rest of the house, I felt perfectly comforted. What can I say, I'm only fourteen.

The fridge was surprisingly filled to the brim with:

a) ordinary staple food stuff

b) soft drinks

c) ice cubes

d) cherry tomatoes and blueberries (I swear, they take up 40% of the fridge)

e) eyedrops

f) … apple juice?

I had no idea that Mao liked apple juice- it wasn't mentioned in the file. Or perhaps Kyoya saw how I was literally lusting over a cup of apple juice and arranged for that? I can't believe he's so kind. Perhaps there was some merit to being associated with Mao Fuwa. But the only reason I could think of was the large lump of inheritance that Mao was sure to come into at the tender age of 21. And besides, her parents were eccentric writers- her father was a 'travel lit' guy, and her mother was a criminology sorta gal.

That's right! I could try to text my parents- unless that would end up messing around with the dimensional stuff. Whatever. Screw that. I _am_ fourteen, after all. The age of terrors!

_To: Dad_

_Message: Hey dad. Tell mom I'm safe. It's kinda crazy but something's wrong- don't worry first, okay. I'm stuck in some sort of a weird dimension in an anime (Japanese animation, just in case). But I'll figure out what to do. Don't tell mom that. I miss you guys._

I sent the message, and sighed. A moment later, my phone beeped, and I jumped, hoping it was my dad, telling me to lay off the apple juice-

_Error: message could not be sent._

I placed the phone on the table and sighed, before deciding to call them. It was pretty much a lost cause, but I guess that even phone signals can't work beyond your own universe, huh.

"The number you just dialled does not exist."

Well, that sucks. The signals transmitted probably can't be sensed by the satellite discs in this universe. Then, in all sense, this phone would be useless, no? I laughed at how stupid I had been, and settled down onto the sofa. I guess instant ramen would be my only choice for dinner tonight.

"It's okay. I can do this."

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 4

I Prefer Spearmint: Chapter 5

AN: because honestly bwahhh. And also, we needed something more uplifting~ I hope you guys aren't bored out by the way I write, because it's very... I mean, it doesn't even have a romantic subplot (yet). And there's also a lot of random musings all around- but I guess it's just a way of breathing into the series. That made no sense.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

Enjoy!

* * *

I'm tired.

And I have no idea how Calculus works.

How _does_ Calculus work.

The thing is, I was hoping that the host club would whirl into my classroom (and hey, I _share a class_ with _three_ host club members!) and drag me off to the third music room before planning a beach trip or something. Right after the bell rings, that is. Wouldn't want to miss out on my educational enlightenment.

Instead, I watched (without sulking, that is) as the twins dragged Haruhi out of the classroom and off into paradise once the bell rang. I guess the main story still revolves around Haruhi, huh? I think I'll just go home-

Ah.

'Home' is a ten-minute ride through obscure, plain looking roads. And I have no idea whether Kyoya has arranged for a chauffeur to get me home. Also, while Kyoya had left me notes on the WiFi code of the suite, and instructions on how to contact him, I had no time to program that number into my phone- not that it should work in this universe, that is (and not that I bothered, anyway).

That left me- in an undesirable dilemma; chase after Kyoya like a lost puppy, or hide (and _sulk_) in the library until he came for me. The latter would surely present Mao Fuwa in an unpleasant light, and hence I decided to humble myself and look for the senior.

I found myself standing outside an empty 2A classroom, and realised that I had taken too long (admiring the amazing interior of this palace, no doubt) to get to Kyoya's classroom. Entering the classroom, instead of going to the third music room, I found myself looking around. It was a standard classroom, and I felt goose bumps all over my arms. Which was most likely to be Kyoya's table?

There was a plan of the classroom tacked next to the blackboard, and I found it easily in the middle of the classroom. I hesitated, but sat down at his seat anyway, and stiffened. I was definitely getting into this youth-is-an-exquisite-splendour-of-romance. To be honest, I did consider a romantic endeavour with members of the host club- I mean, who wouldn't? They're a bunch of smart and handsome and rich guys! It's every girl's dream, and I'm not being unreasonable to fantasize a little, am I?

Pathetic, no?

The anime, this _world_, was sure to centre around Haruhi Fujioka. Even if I had just dropped into this universe, I was nothing but another rich girl by the name of 'Mao Fuwa'- I didn't even have the looks. I _wish_ I had bright green eyes and luscious lips, fair and flawless skin, and even golden locks. But c'mon, I'm just _me._ Rachel Cho. Brown eyes and black frizzy hair. I was a little plump and short, and I had irregular tan lines, and great eye bags- what with staying up late at night _procrastinating_ _sleep_.

If only I could rely on some of those convenient fanfiction plots to turn me into a mysterious, puzzling little girl with the right charms and the perfect accent. Don't get me wrong; I _do_ think I'm pretty. But I'm not oh-my-god-that's-damn-hot-I-would-die-for-her pretty. And that stings a little, to know that I can't fit into some sizes of dresses, or look good in hot pants.

I'm just a faded pretty; like one of those stones that you need to look closer at before you realise that it glitters. Our worlds are full of these people. People that you'd dismiss at first glance, but are actually shining and brimming with wonder and _thought_ and their own mind palaces and bubbles.

And you know what? I'm okay.

I don't need to get someone's attention in order to shine- because I already do, and I know it.

Ah, Rachel, your lovely motivating speeches are very inspiring, but you do need to get home for a change of clothes. Right. Mission: Find Kyoya!

Jumping up from Kyoya's seat, I began to walk to the third music room. I still can't get over how pretty the pink goes with the baby yellow of the walls.

* * *

I tensed up in front of the door handle- the Host Club wasn't open today, so how was I going to explain myself? Not that it mattered. Think apple juice, Rachel. Think apple juice and apartment suites with nice toasty heaters. Opening the music room door, I found that the room was…

Completely empty.

Of course they wouldn't be here, would they? It's been almost an hour since school ended. Any impromptu beach trips would have been settled a while ago. Today seems to be an have-an-obsession-with-empty-rooms day, because I entered the room and shut the door behind me. It was a lot quieter and colder than the first time I entered (five… days ago?). The shadows on the ground and the light spilling from outside the music room made it look like a different dimension all together.

I really have to get it together- stop drooling over beautiful architecture and interior designing, Rachel!

I'm sorry- but sometimes you find beauty everywhere, like what I'm doing. And sometimes, you don't find Kyoya everywhere, like what I'm doing. I find a piano concealed by the curtains, and squealed. Of course, I never really knew how to play the piano, but I guess I could handle a few notes. Roland absolutely loves playing on the piano. I used to learn how to play it, but I quit after a few years. Why? Because I didn't like the teacher.

Carefully lifting up the piano's cover, I snuck a look around me. Assured that there was no one to witness my act, I poked at a key. It immediately vibrated around the room, and I hastily stepped onto the middle pedal in order to minimize the casualties brought about by my mistake. I guess I shouldn't butcher the song I had in mind.

"I didn't know you could play the piano," a voice said.

I spun around to see Kyoya, leaning against the door of the music room, busily doing something on his phone. I bet he's fake-texting. No one can maintain a conversation while typing things of a different context. At least, I can't. And I'm an average person.

Mao Fuwa _could_ play the piano, but I couldn't. How should I go about saying this…

"And you should stop crushing the pedals, Fuwa-san."

Oh god why.

"I was looking for you, Ootori-san," I explained, even if my explanation was a little unfounded and sudden. I replaced the cover on the piano, and walked towards him.

"Surely, Fuwa-san. Of course, you can play the piano, right?" he asked flippantly.

And then I remembered that Kyoya Ootori was the Shadow King who kept records and researched people who he had interacted with. People who were rich, that is. If he had done his research on Mao Fuwa- which is to say, he _had_, then I would be unable to lie. My file stated that Mao Fuwa absolutely adored playing the piano, and often played it in order to inspire her parents...

"Why, yes," I mumbled in reply.

"Then you shouldn't mind playing it for us the next time? I'm sure Tamaki will be interested."

But if Mao Fuwa's parents had passed away, and if she were in the stage of mourning, then shouldn't she refuse to play the piano? It could work that way, right? By trying to shut herself away from any possible reminder of her parents' death…

"I don't think I can. Not after my parents…" I left the sentence hanging, and pretended to stifle a sob.

He didn't try to comfort me, and I appreciated that. It was definitely a more preferred manner to treat one who was still in mourning. I accepted his silence, and he accepted mine. Still, I had no idea whether Kyoya suspected anything; not that I was doing anything wrong. Just a little bit of identity theft, and that I was quite literally an illegal immigrant to this universe.

"Actually, Fuwa-san, you could have called my number. I left it on the table."

"I realised." Did I just murder another attempt at a conversation? Well, my bad, but I didn't want to have it anyway.

When we arrived at my apartment building, he offered (with the smile of a flight attendant), "Would you like me to take you around the city?"

I glanced at him, and nodded- without really thinking about it. I guess I really did need someone to help me carve the details of the place into my mushy little mind. I asked for him to wait for me- ten minutes, assuring that I would fully utilise the ten minutes. Of course, I needed the extra time to reread my file on Mao Fuwa. He, like any other gentlemen, only nodded and flashed me a charming smile. Oh god- he's hot. But of course he's hot. He's a freaking anime character!

Once out of his sight, I sprinted towards my apartment door and shoved myself into my suite. Ten minutes, ten minutes- and after two minutes, I was comfortably perched on the arm of the sofa, reading the file again. Man, this girl has got boring hobbies.

Wait- if I'm touring the city with Kyoya…

Does this count as a date.

Oh god, way to make my fantasising teenage heart go on meltdown. Crap- I don't even have romantic feelings for him, but he's hot. And I'm relatively hot. Just slightly above room temperature right now.

Oh. Right.

His phone number!

I just have to-

I glanced down at my now vibrating phone- it read:

_Mao Fuwa calling._

In shock, I pressed the red little button. There was no way- this had to be some kind of joke, right? I mean, everything here is a great big joke. I could just call back, which was what I did, while kneeling next to the sofa. Please pick up- please let it be the real one- please, please, _please-_

"Hello?" the voice spoke, and I slowly released the gulp of breath that I was holding in.

I kept silent for a while more, and then muttered, "Fuwa-san, this is Rachel Cho speaking."

* * *

AN: AHHHH is that a cliff hanger! Yes it is!~ though I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be pretty anticlimatic.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	6. Interlude I

I Prefer Spearmint: Interlude

AN: something more different in this chapter :D ehhehehe You'll figure it out when you read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

Enjoy!

* * *

I have no idea how I got here.

I don't want to know, either-

I'm okay.

I think I'm okay.

I'm in a different world. It's still Japan, though I have no idea why or who the hell this 'Rachel Cho' is. The numbers keep reappearing- I can't tell what's going on, but I see them everywhere- almost like a sign. A note. A countdown. 20- 16- 17- 19- 15- they blur into coincidences and fate, seeping into visions and nightmares until all lucidity is lost. I'm worried- it's like a premonition lurking around the corners, counting off the days till my bluff shatters. Hell, I can't even _grieve_ properly- not that it's any different if I were still Mao Fuwa back in my world. I'd still be all alone.

I just want to be called 'Mao' again and pretend that everything's alright- I wonder how Ouran Academy looks like. I hope it's nice. I wonder how the Ootori family looks like. I hope they're nice. I just want to go back, even if it means that I'll have to pretend it's alright and mourn suitably in front of the media. My parents are dead, yes. But the last thing that I need is a bunch of sobbing little relatives and strangers to pity me.

I'm sixteen already.

And I've lost everything.

This is definitely messing with my worldview.

But- I'm so alone. This Japan is no more different than that in my world. Except that Ouran Academy doesn't exist here. I tried looking for it, but it's just a bunch of bakeries and flowery things. They told me that I'd be here for three weeks- and then _what happens_? I have to go back-

Singapore.

I don't want to go back or pretend to be 'Rachel Cho'- I'm so afraid of losing myself- what if I forget about 'Mao Fuwa' and- dad? And mom? It says on the file that she has a younger brother. I've always wanted siblings in my life, but I can't just go and _rob_ another person's family, can I? Not after I've lost my own-

What if our places have been swapped?

Oh my god.

Rachel Cho's lost her family.

"Rachel-san? Are you feeling better?" My host called out from behind the door.

"Yeah." I looked at myself in the mirror. "Yeah! I'm just- I just need to sleep for a while more. I'm sorry."

I wonder how Rachel looks like- unless everyone's memories have been modified along with the swapping of persons, we'd look alike, right? Except that she's fourteen and I'm sixteen. I paused. Is this Rachel's first time coming to Japan? If it is, then she's all alone in a foreign country- a totally different universe- how does this even happen?

But what if I stayed as 'Rachel Cho'? A name's just a name, right? And after a few years, I'd be able to imitate the way she behaves and then I won't be alone anymore. I'll have a family to care for, I'll have friends and I won't have to start over again- and-

"But I'll still be alone." My reflection stares at me, and for a moment- I think I can put Rachel's name to the gaunt-looking image. "If I go back- I won't have a home to return to… and neither will she."

Oh my god- I'm _horrible_.

She's fourteen-

And I'm all alone.

I can't do this. I can't be selfish and lose myself just because I'm desperate right now- there has to be something that I can do. Something I can do to help- even if I don't know her-

But I don't know her. Why should I bother- her life is perfect for me. I could just waltz in and claim her family as mine and- and, as long as we don't come into contact with each other, we'd never have to swap back.

But I'm not her-

I'm Mao.

Fuwa Mao.

Mao.

Mao.

Mao.

"Mao- stop."

Breathe.

Do it for her- because no one deserves to have their family snatched away from them- because you can't let yourself snatch her life away- it's a terrible mistake. Some strange scientific occurrence that can be fixed. This is the way of the universe- Mao. She knows I'm Mao. She'll know that at least some part of me exists. At least, this way, Fuwa Mao hasn't lost everything. She's got someone who knows who she is, right?

A knock on the door brought me back. "Rachel-san, I'm coming in."

My host, a petite girl by the name Kisato Ran, came in and smiled. "Ah, you're out of bed already? You really shouldn't, not with that cold! Get into bed!" With that, she shoved me into the pink fluffy bed, and had me promise not to get up unnecessarily.

I chuckled at how motherly she was being, and then she picked up my phone, talking about adding her phone number into my contacts list if anything happened. I hummed softly, and looked at her when she giggled softly.

"Rachel-san, how adorable of you to have your own contact number listed here!"

My… own… number?

Was that Rachel Cho's number? Was this in the file? Was that a link into my world- to the real Rachel Cho who existed previously in this world? How could this-

I thanked Ran, and waited till she was out of the door before I grabbed my phone, scrolling down the list. Rachel Cho. It _was_ Rachel Cho's number. Eight digits- definitely a Singaporean phone number. What should I do- I should call her, right? I should call her and reassure her- even if this would ruin everything- I was alone, but so was she.

She's alone, Mao- you have to call her.

And I did- even if I felt a wave of relief wash over me when she hung up. Maybe she didn't want any form of contact, right? Maybe she didn't want to go back into her own world- where her family was waiting, where she wouldn't be all alone- _how could someone not want that_? But maybe, just maybe, she wanted to live as Fuwa Mao, and I, as Rachel Cho- no longer alone and- have a new chance at everything.

The phone rang again.

I picked up. "Hello?"

_Please don't answer. Please don't be Rachel Cho. Please, please, please- _

"Fuwa-san," the voice spoke, and I stiffened. "This is Rachel Cho speaking."

_Thank you._

* * *

AN: yep! Mao Fuwa's pov~ woosh! I'm really wondering how to fit everything in now~

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	7. Chapter 5

I Prefer Spearmint: Chapter 6

AN: I was being upset because of the reviews. Or the lack thereof. But that's okay. Reviews or not, I'll continue writing! Yay! Okay that sounds phony, but eep I think the number of favourites dropped by one, too... _/whispers/ why..._

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

Enjoy!

* * *

"Rachel… Cho. Oh my god. But- _how_?"

"Look, this is going to sound complicated, but I need you to calm down-"

"I'm calm," The voice on the other side assured.

"-And I need you to not interrupt me-"

"Yes, I'll- oh, I'm sorry-"

"-Anyway, here's the thing," I started to say, albeit a little cautious- was this person really Mao Fuwa? "This is my theory, but it's the only way I can think of to explain this. There are multiple universes-"

"Woah, are you for real- I'm sorry!"

"-There are multiple universes," I repeated. "And somehow, by some chance, we were flying to Japan on the same day and at the same time. I, because I am-_was_ on an exchange programme, and you- because you are flying back. So now, you're stuck in my universe, and I am stuck in yours. I have no idea how our phones work- I'm guessing it's the signal or something."

"I see."

"Are you really Mao Fuwa?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the voice snapped back.

I bit back a giggle, and replied, "I have a file on you. It's called the 'Moe Moe Top Secret Mission'. Or something like that."

"Me too!" And then, more crudely, "You're a boring person, Cho-san. Do you really enjoy drinking apple juice?"

"You like _pears_." I paused for a moment. "Do you think we could just call each other by our names? I don't think it's necessary to be so formal anymore."

She sighed on the other side of the phone. "Whatever. I just want to go home. I don't know anyone here, you know."

"Neither do I. But at least we have each other."

"I hate pretending to be you, Rachel."

"Yeah…" I shifted into a more comfortable position.

"You have a friend called Nicole, and right now I'm just pretending to be ill to avoid her because… she's scary." She chuckled.

"You have a… sponsor. One of his kids is called Ootori Kyoya. He's scary."

We laughed for a moment, and sat in silence.

"How do we get home?" I asked.

"Are you really fourteen?" A sigh. "I don't know."

"Did anything happen before you got there? Like, a mysterious stranger with white hair?"

"I can't really remember. It's been six days, right? How long were you supposed to be in Japan for? Three weeks, right…" A gasp. "Wait, Rachel- does that mean that we have a deadline? Like, maybe it's a portal of some sort, and it closes within three weeks? I've been seeing these numbers everywhere-"

I paled. "No- it can't be- I mean, you were going back to Japan for the rest of your life, right?"

"For the rest of the foreseeable future." And then, worriedly, "What happens when I go back to your home? What happens when I go back to your family?"

I looked down at the carpet. I didn't know what to say-

Mao Fuwa lost her parents, didn't she?

"If everything- if everything can't go back to the way it was, then… You'll go back to them as Rachel Cho, and then you'll have a family, won't you?"

I was sure that she was stunned- not because I was being _generous_; in fact, I was hardly doing so. I was being selfish and lazy.

"I already lost my parents- I don't need _yours_." She snapped, seething. "Dammit, won't you try to cherish yours? They've been sending me messages the whole time and I have no idea what to say to them. Oh, or should I just tell them that their daughter just shoved them into the arms of another child, like a useless toy that she got bored of? It looks like you're enjoying your rich and privileged life as _me_ so much that you'd rather be rid of your only family. That, is damn sick. At least try- at least _try_ and pretend that you care, okay? Because one day they're going to be gone and you'll never see them again!"

She yelled the last part into the phone, and I was certain that she felt satisfied at letting out this grief- at being able to correct someone. I laughed- feeling my eyes cloud with tears.

"No- I want to go home as much as you do. I want to go back to being Rachel Cho. I'm _alone._ I'm only fourteen. I'm exhausted at having to be you. But what if we never find our way back into our world? What happens then? Because then, at least you still have a family. At least, then- you still have people you can fall back on. I'm okay. I'll do fine, because I know you'd cherish them for me. Maybe more than I would." I giggled, and choked back the tears. "I'm not trying to sound martyr here- I'm only _fourteen_ and I don't want to die as some stupid name called 'Mao Fuwa'. I'm so afraid. I want my parents. I want to go _home_- I can't do this."

We stayed silent for a long while, as I hiccupped and drew tiny circles with my finger on the carpet.

"We have each other," she said firmly. "You're not going to die as my stupid name. We'll get you back, and we'll get me back."

"Mao."

"Rachel."

"That sounds wonderful." I laughed, and shook my head; how was I going to find the white-haired stranger who had led to my being here?

"I'm sixteen, Rachel," she reminded. "My plans always sound wonderful."

"Fuwa-san," a voice, muffled through the apartment's door, called out.

"I need to go; Kyoya's bringing me around the city," I explained hastily, before yelling back to the dismembered voice, "Coming!"

"Just 'Kyoya'? How intimate you guys are becoming," she teased.

"I thought I'd drop all suffixes with you."

"If I didn't know better, I'd thought you were flirting with me."

"I would, but I'm not interested in girls who are a universe away. Hanging up, bye!" I whispered as I opened the door.

If Kyoya looked shocked or affronted at my casual clothes and possibly-puffy eyes, he didn't show it. Instead, he smiled, and his glasses glinted, and I knew that I was back to Mao Fuwa again.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	8. Chapter 6

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 7

AN: this one is a lot longer yay :D thank you for all the reviews :D they made me happy~ like a little kid. :D I also drew a little on my dad's phone/tablet thing and uploaded it as the story's image yay :D I've drawn another one of Rachel, but ff net keeps warping it when I try to show the both of them together. So for now, here's Mao.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

* * *

Do you know that phrase where you find beauty everywhere, and you don't find a Kyoya Ootori everywhere? Yep. I'm currently stuck there. It's not fun.

Getting lost in a mall- with a fully charged phone, and no Kyoya. Ah. I glanced down at my own purse-bag thing, and wondered if I should invest in a new phone, or try to find my way back to my apartment before dialling for Kyoya. That sounded like a good plan, if I even managed to figure out my current location. I sighed, and glanced around. Tall pale male with black hair and glinting glasses not spotted.

"I guess, running off into a bookstore while Kyoya was giving out directions to a bunch of tourists isn't the best idea…" I murmured as I exited the bookstore. "So! What am I going to do."

I started to walk about, wondering if Kyoya was even looking for me- I'd bet he's conspiring to leave me alone so that I would starve and die due to my inapt social skills. And then, he'd swallow my- well, Mao's- inheritance for himself. Or something like that. I have totally no idea how he'd be able to get my inheritance, but the Shadow King sure is something that we can't underestimate. He'd probably fake a story of how we were so in love and that I wrote a will, bequeathing all my assets to him… Actually, he could just say that since the Ootori Corporations was sponsoring me, they were my closest relations and hence- _ka-ching._

"Hey, isn't that Mao-chan?" a cute voice called out.

I froze- and laughed. Ah- _they_ couldn't be here, right…? It's quite unlikely, seeing as Haruhi is actually the protagonist of the anime series, and that I'm just a random person who happened to appear… Don't tell me I'm featured as the monster of the day?! Well- it's not like this is another episode, is it? It's probably some out-of-the-episode trivia. Not that it should affect the general plot, but I'm not sure-

It's okay, Rachel.

I turned around, to see Mori and Honey. I was quite relieved to see that Honey wasn't riding on Mori's back- I didn't need to see any extra fanservice. Well, to be honest- they _were_ fanservice, weren't they? And I just happened to be the unfortunate recipient of the fanservice. Oh heck, you should go see Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. Gou was adorable.

"Oh, Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai. Hello! What a coincidence!" I faked a smile and waved. "What are you guys doing here?" Last I remembered, they were living in some far-off dojo, right?

Maybe I should have just snuck back into the bookstore and pretended to be someone else. Ah, whatever. They'll probably have Kyoya's phone number, right? I'm still a little surprised that Kyoya actually brought me out, personally. It's not like I'm some big shot, right? Mao's parents are _authors._ The dreaded outlaws of the society! The despised, eccentric scientists of humungous words! Unprofessional and inept!

"Do you live near here, Mao-chan?" Honey asked cheerfully. And swiftly dodged my question.

"Y-yeah, somewhat. Ootori-san was bringing me around, and somehow I managed to get lost. Do you think you could call him?"

"Kyo-chan? Takashi, could you call Kyo-chan?" He turned to face Mori, and then back to me. "Well, do you know what we should do, Mao-chan?"

"Uhhhh, no?" More fanservice?

"We should go get cake!" As expected.

I nodded uncertainly, and before I knew it, I was trailing after him. Still, cake sounded like a good idea. … I seem like a pretty easy target for kidnap.

* * *

Awkward conversations are awkward.

And by that, I really mean _awkward_.

Okay, put a socially-inept person, a silent person and a totally oblivious-to-the-mood person together, and what do you get? Awkward cake-eating festivals and conversations.

"Mao-chan, it's really cool to meet you outside of school! Doesn't Mao-chan look adorable, wearing something other than the school uniform?" Honey exclaimed, before stuffing his mouth full with another slice of cake.

Of course, his eating methods are much more refined and dignified than mine- that is, if I were to try and stuff my face with cake, I'd look like a slob. And besides, what the heck is up with this café- 'Moe Moe cake!'. Did they really need to add that exclamation mark? It's starting to feel like some plot thing pulled out by Renge. Not that I dislike her, but she doesn't come out until the later episodes…

"Ah." And of course, supplied by the ever so charming Mori.

I'm a little embarrassed because I'm seated with two handsome guys who are always attracting attention and gossip and lovey-dovey eyes. And the fact that I do not look as charming is also putting me in a bit of a spot. I'm not sure if the people around us are hating me or desperately trying to kick my ass out. Also, their choice of clothing… definitely branded. I'm sure that Mao's considered rich, too, but I'm only wearing my own 'commoner' clothes. Wait. Are those cashmere vests? Oh my god. Did I mention my thing for hot guys in dress shirts (With rolled up sleeves) and vests. Because heLP I'M FALLING IN LOVE WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER.

This is another one of those "Mom, Dad- I don't care but this ultra-unreal-fictional character happens to be the love of my life and we can communicate on a daily basis and understand and relate so yep I'mma just hop into another dimension-of-my-own-creation and elope in the name of love" situations, isn't it? Stay focused, Rachel! You've got to get to the bottom of this whole mess!

Whatever mess it is.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" I asked again, casually, poking a fork into my cake.

"Ehhhh? You don't know? Tama-chan called all of us out here to this mall, so that we could figure out how to cheer-"

"Mitsukuni," Mori said, warningly. "She doesn't know."

Four words in a shot! What an accomplishment. I do remember there was this one episode when he gave a huge chunk of stuff and got shot down. That was hilarious.

"Oh…? Tell me about it," I prompted- although I knew what the answer would be. It'd definitely be Haruhi, no doubt- she's the protagonist, after all.

"Ahhh, Mao-chan, why aren't you eating your cake? Don't you like it?" Honey's eyes watered dramatically and I backed away. As far as I could get, considering that I was in my chair.

Crap I have to act fast or they'll accuse me of making a little child cry.

"I'm just- uh, yeah- just trying to appreciate the anticipation before eating my cake, you know. There's this thing about how anticipation is better than the actual thing because your mind starts to fantasize and create an image of how the actual thing is so much better than it really is." In conclusion, _the cake is a lie._

"Oh! That's smart, Mao-chan!"

And then we spent the next five minutes staring at cake, until he couldn't resist. A moment of silence for those three cakes. Not just three slices. But three _whole_ cakes. I sipped my tea, and wondered why Kyoya wasn't here, yet. Unless he's not concerned, which he would be, of course. Unconcerned money grubber.

I glanced out of the window, and sighed. I just wanna go back to the apartment and sleep.

"Mao-chan, since we're friends, you can tell us anything if you're unhappy." I turned back to look at Honey, who was on his way to murdering that poor little slice of cake.

"Huh?" Wait, was this some interactive game thing that allowed me to make friends with the amount of interactions? "Friends?"

"Y-yeah? Aren't we friends?" Damn, there goes the teary-eyes.

I stared at him incredulously, wondering if: a) I should make my exit now, b) if I would be able to outrun the hordes of just-formed fangirls or Mori, and c) if I could survive the trampling and beatings. There was another option, of course- d) to pacify him. Oh god I hate kids.

"No, not yet," Mori spoke up, cupping his cheek with his palm and leaning against the shop window.

Honey considered it for a while, "So then, let's be friends, Mao-chan!"

God, I can't even handle your mood swings and your sudden (and very unsubtle) conversation changes, how am I supposed to handle being someone-who-has-to-patronize-you-and-listen-and-hang-out-with-you? That title is too honourable for someone like me to handle!

But, despite myself, I nodded, and managed to smile. "Yeah."

I took another bite of my cake, and sighed. Really, what was taking Mr. Efficiency? Especially since we had school tomorrow, and that the Host Club was meeting up- I sighed. I wasn't a part of the Host Club (whether that was unfortunate or fortunate, I had no idea). I didn't even get a chance to _break_ anything and become the Host Club's dog or something. I was being obedient, keeping to the rules of the time-and-space-whatchamatcha.

"Then let's introduce ourselves again!" Honey exclaimed. "I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, I like cake and sweets and, and my birthday is on February 29th … And I love Usa-chan a lot!"

Where did that bunny come from…

I nodded- that much information, I already knew. "I'm Mao Fuwa-"

"Don't you mean Fuwa Mao, Mao-chan?" Honey asked, confusion apparent in his face.

Damn, a slip up. "Y-yeah. Fuwa Mao, I love apple juice, and my birthday is- umh, 20th November, which makes me a Scorpio, I guess." I chuckled awkwardly. "What about Mori-sempai?"

I wasn't expecting him to speak, but I looked at him anyway.

"Morinozuka Takashi. I like _natto_. My birthday is on May 5th." Expectations exceeded!

Whaddya know, you learn more and more every day. I sighed, and felt something vibrating in my pocket. Crap- damn the ringtone- It was probably Mao. I excused myself, and exited the café. It didn't seem like anything urgent- seeing as it was only a text.

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Oh, by the way, your parents have been sending your host family texts to wonder about you. Apparently they've tried sending it to you but it's impossible. But if our phones run on signals, then how is it possible that we're able to communicate? _

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: dont jinx it. wat did u tell them_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: For the love of science, this is a mystery. What do you want to tell them?_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: well idk I mean Ive watched doctor who or smth like tat n it says there r multiple universes with vacuums in between so mayb the signals dont reach cos it bounces back but our phones r special idk_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: also I hate science_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Your chat-speak is horrendous._

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: tell them I love them pls._

I stuffed my phone into my pocket and took a deep breath, preparing to enter the café again. At least I had some form of a link. I sighed, and stopped in my tracks when I saw the whole Host Club (minus Haruhi) seated at our table. My phone vibrated again, and the ringtone caused them to look up at me. I took my phone out, and saw another text from Mao.

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: They said that they loved you too._

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: thk them for me. _

I hesitated to push the 'send' button (but did so anyway), turned my phone on silent before sending another text.

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: thks, mao. g2g_

I tried not to cry as I locked it, and shoved it back into my pocket. Plastering another smile, I waved to the absurdly handsome Hosts, and strode over.

* * *

AN: because Rachel is emotional. And she also uses horrendous chat speak.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	9. Chapter 7

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 8

AN: did you know that Mori has a character song called Itsumo Soba Ni and it is simply brilliant and sweet and I fell in love again. Oh god. He sounds so warm and protective that I can't help but melt into a puddle. Also, good news for you guys! The next few chapters might seem a little... filler-y, but I guess that's how it goes. The lead up, and then the train wreck. I've already planned out the events on a day-to-day schedule. Or at least, assigned events to certain days. And all I'm saying is... _foreshadowing._

Thank you for the comments as usual :D in reply to **SakuraDreamerz, **I have no idea where Kyoya went... Maybe to replenish his secret collection of velvet, polka-dotted socks? ;D [I should really start having a 'reply to comment' section...]

And I drew another picture and uploaded it as the story image, so here you have something that looks like frankenstein! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

"So… Where's Ha-Fujioka-san?" I asked.

"W-well, we were thinking of a plan to get Haruhi something. Or to do something with him!" The twins chorused.

"And I'm involved because?" I asked again, failing to see their logic.

"You're our friend!" Honey piped up.

I only turned into your friend ten minutes ago- so unless you have psychic powers- oh. Manipulation and careful planning. Honey is the executioner, and the master-mind is… Kyoya. Ugh.

"That's right! Also, you're a girl, which will allow Haruhi to become-" he paused, seeing a contradiction. "-to become… more… of a girl?"

"Of course, Haruhi," one of the twins- probably Kaoru- said.

"Is a very manly man!" the other twin continued.

Kaoru and Hikaru had different voice actors in the anime- but I didn't expect it to carry over to this world. That's stupid of me to assume differently, of course. Kaoru has a more mellow voice so that he'd sound more… submissive (_coughukecough)_, while Hikaru had a more manly voice so that he would sound more domineering. Well, it's nice to know that I can tell them apart by their voices. It's just that they look the same…

"It's alright. I know Fujioka-san's a girl. It was pretty obvious." I slouched onto the table. "Has it ever occurred to you that most of the customers already know that, but they just want to see Haruhi as an androgynous figure? A hint of something discreetly forbidden?"

"That's an interesting way to look at it," Kyoya muttered, and wrote something into his black notebook.

"Ah. I'm sorry, Ootori-san, for running off. I must have caused you a lot of trouble." I can't believe I forgot to apologise!

"Indeed." I can't tell if he's being rude or just showing off his sass.

"But we already…" Kaoru started to say.

"Have a forbidden act in our club," Hikaru finished.

I nodded. That much was true- they kept flaunting it, even _here._

"Mommy! She knows about Haruhi's secret! What shall we do!" Tamaki exclaimed, banging onto the table.

"I won't tell anyone, that's for sure," I assured, and was certain that I would be sweat-dropping.

"How would we know?" the twins said again, leaning over the table.

"For someone who has dirt on you, you're treating her pretty badly. Shouldn't it be the other way round? Besides, since I'm sponsored by Ootori-san's company, I'm pretty much under his private army of police's watch." 25/7, that is.

I huffed and stared down at my cup of hot chocolate.

"Mommy, you never told me you had another daughter!" Tamaki accused, pushing his face into Kyoya's.

"Seems like Mommy's hiding things from Daddy," the twins teased, and I looked away, feeling a ripple of second-hand embarrassment hit me hard in the gut.

God! Didn't they know how to act their age in a public place? _I'm_ fourteen, and you don't see me gallivanting wildly around the mall! Oh god this is so much worse than watching the anime. I wonder how Kyoya puts up with all of these. I'm sure he's got a full-fledged bromance with Tamaki, after watching their origin story- but what about the rest? Oh- I know. Profits. Or it's just because he's fallen in too deep to see the light.

"But that's okay, isn't it? After all, she'll be a feminine inspiration to Haruhi," Kyoya said, and for once, I wasn't sure where we were going with this.

"That's right! From now on, you'll be my daughter! Mao~" I felt a shudder run up my spine, and dodged Tamaki's hug. "Don't run away from Daddy! Daddy loves you a lot~"

"No! I'm not interested in incest- so get away from me!" I screamed, jumping out of my seat and considered my options. No way in hell was I going to get another dad in this universe.

In the end, I was flung into the air as he carried me up- god, I must be quite a weight- shit he's going to find out that I'm not like those tiny fragile porcelain princesses and that I'm fat- oh god- crap- help- this is embarrassing!

"MORI!" I screamed, and flailed.

And the next moment was absolutely wonderful. It was the moment I had been living for. It was romantic and sweet and absolutely heart-throbbing. Takashi Morinozuka _touched me-_ held me to his chest, rescuing me from my oppressor, like the stereotypical knights in shining cashmere (?) vests. He smelt of red roses and pink strawberries, and his tensed, tanned arms looked like velvet (either that, or substitute it with some rich cloth). In that very moment, I swear we were infinite (except for my waist size, of course). The midday sun suddenly pounced onto us (from the other side of the Earth) and punched a hole into the mall's ceiling, before sprinkling sparkle fairy dust upon our glorious (and equally sparkly) bodies. The angels also descended from the heavens, and fell through the hole, and started singing Taylor Swift's love songs. And then we ran off into the sunset and rode on magical unicorns off into the moon with our capes flying off behind us.

Translation: Mori pulled me up from Tamaki's hug, and I tensed up because: a) a hot guy was holding me up, b) it was the closest a guy/ potential mate has ever gotten to me, c) I looked down and just realised how _tall_ Takashi Morinozuka was, and d) everyone was very unsubtly staring at me- which then leads to: e) more embarrassment and shock.

_"Oh my, they're causing quite a lot of trouble, aren't they?"_

_"They do look too old to be doing this…"_

_"But they're hot, aren't they?"_

_"The girl looks quite young, though."_

_"They should really try to keep her in hand- and not let her run about!"_

_"It wasn't her fault, but I guess it did start because of her…"_

Oh god I hate.

I hate.

I don't even know what I hate, but there's this growly, heated feeling that's burning up inside of me, like a collision of hydrogen and helium and gas-who's-going-to-die. Oh god why am I even punning right now. The point is that it's not my fault that I don't have flawless skin or big puppy eyes or a perfect figure.

"Mori, you should let me down now," I said.

Once he did, I backed away from the group. Damage control, damage control… I couldn't even look at the Host Club, and so I faced the rest of the café, and apologised for the inconvenience caused. My cheery and innocent façade must have convinced them, for they went back to their business (but not before telling me off, will you believe it?). The trick is, whenever you're involved in a conflict, don't let your other senses overtake your rationale. It'll make you appear immature and cause more blame to be shifted onto you- especially if you have a disadvantage. Instead, you should just smile and offer yourself for condemnation. It'll put the other party off his tracks.

When the other customers were safely ignorant of the anger that trembled through my veins, and the shame that pricked at my eyes and coloured my cheeks (ever so slightly), I breathed out normally- trying to regulate my voice just in case I needed to scream again. I spun around once I was sure that my anger was armour enough.

"Mao, this is my fault-" Tamaki said from somewhere beside me (and the thought of that made me want to just _run_), surely coming up with some bullshitting flattery.

"No. The fault is mine. I'm going home now," I said, trying to dull the bitterness in my voice to a monotone.

I didn't give him a chance to answer before I left.

I'm not sure what I expected, but no one chased after me, or asked me to stay- or even tried apologizing (Tamaki doesn't count!). And for some reason, it hurt a little bit. But that's alright. I'm going to go home- somehow- and drink another jug of apple juice. Screw this. I'm not going to get a new phone. Those idiots will never have to contact me.

* * *

Once I stepped out of the mall, I started to shiver. I'd forgotten about the temperature outside. I hugged myself and tried walking back to the apartment. I stopped a few people for directions, and they were kind enough to direct me to the building. However, I was told that it would be quite a walk. Whatever. Apple juice is a reward too desirable to give up upon!

I laughed at my childishness, and sighed. I still had a bit of English homework left. I stretched, felt another gust of wind ruffle past my arms- and instantly regretted that action. It was too cold out here. It was colder than my black, icy heart. But then again, there is no such thing as 'coldness', is there? Cold is the absence of heat. I sighed again. This is dumb. Why am I here, again? It's not like I have some other-worldly mission to help save this world. Besides, this is pretty much a fictional world.

Except that they really went out of their way to include the rest of this Earth. Actually, I'm not so sure. Maybe, once I step out of the premises of the anime, then the rest of this universe will be nothing but a pixelated giant grey mess.

Just then, a rich-looking black limousine pulled up next to me. Oh holy mama, this is the kind of things they warned me about. The most-feared, horrible-est, even worse than the Cards Against Humanity thing… It lurks around the corner of every rich person's world, and slimes its way through the traffic, all the while dodging traffic policemen and ungracious honking. This is it. They've come for me. Is it because of the apple juice I've been harbouring…

I should really walk away- which is what you guys should do when a car (stick to that rule, especially if it's a van. A white van.) pulls up beside you, at _night_. But instead, I stood still and watched as the windows dramatically rolled down.

"Hey, Mao-chan, you should come in!" an adorable voice called out.

I should. And so I did.

I'm such an easy target for kidnapping.

I entered the limousine and tripped on my way in. Luckily, I managed not to fall onto anyone, nor give the carpet a thorough cleaning. Somehow, the whole Host Club was already in. I faltered, and hesitated- god, I had never sat in a limousine before! And my pride was a little at hand, considering that I had just stomped off like a rich little brat.

((which Mao Fuwa was, probably. It's cool she's managed to survive that long in the commoner's world.))

"Hurry up and get in. The traffic's horrible," Hikaru ordered.

I hate him for being so arrogant. You know what, I could probably stumble out and run into some unknown woods… Yeah, the alternative didn't sound so attractive. I shrugged off my pride and awkwardly sat next to Mori.

"If you were really apologetic about running off and getting lost in the mall," Kyoya deadpanned. "You should have stuck to that. Don't apologize when you don't mean it."

I rolled my eyes. Oh, so now he's lecturing me? "I didn't mean for you guys to chase me," I blurted out, sulking.

"You are under the care of the Ootori corporations, and hence-"

"I could have gotten back easily. Did you think me unable to ask for directions?" I shot back.

"That's not it, Mao-chan. Everyone was worried!" Honey injected from somewhere behind Mori.

"Worried?" I snorted. "Yeah, right. If you guys were worried, you would have stopped me in the first place, wouldn't you?"

Wrong move.

I swear the twin's eyes glinted in the dimmed light. They leaned forward towards me, and I'm just saying that simultaneous movements made by copycat jerks are pretty intimidating.

"So, what you mean to say is…"

"You wanted us to chase after you?"

Don't fall for it, don't fall for it…

I chuckled, and leaned back, realising that I was too tensed. "No. Don't twist my words."

I sat in silence, looking down at my palms, before deciding to check my phone. Mao had sent five messages. I scrolled down the list, and hastily locked my phone before shoving it back into my pocket. If they found out that 'Mao Fuwa' was sending messages to me… I looked up to find Mori staring at me. I stared back. This was a great excuse for me to continue admiring his handsome face, but I looked away at last, feeling like some part of my pride had been shattered into irretrievable micro-beings. That, and my face burnt black.

It's not my fault that he's hot, anyway.

"My daughter, will you forgive me?" Tamaki finally piped up.

"Um." I made a noise of assent, and shrugged.

"Geez, she could be more sincere about it. Where's she from? The barn?" Hikaru whispered with his usual snark- I'm actually shocked; where did all his host façade disappear off to? I'm sure that I count as a lady, right?

"That's pretty rich, coming from you," I muttered under my breath. "What the hell did I ever do?"

He glared at me, and I stared back. If you think you can rival me in terms of monotonous stares, you're dead wrong. Unless you go by the name of Takashi Morinozuka, of course. I tried keeping my stare limited to his eyes, but found myself checking out the shape of his face and his lips (oh god the cursed situation wherein a girl looks at her potential mate's lips, hence expressing the desire to kiss-), and though I couldn't see it really clearly, his skin was definitely in a better situation than mine. And I'm a _girl_ who uses _products_.

"Say, we're bringing Mao-chan back to the apartment, right? Can we visit?" Honey asked.

"Yeah! I, as her father, have the right to inspect her living conditions and ensure that Mommy isn't ill-treating her!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"It's a school night," I said without breaking eye-contact. "I'll be fine, _dad_."

And he squealed at how cute his second daughter was. With his outbursts, I wonder how they could keep Haruhi's gender a secret from the entire school. I sighed as Kyoya announced that we were already at my apartment building. The club escorted me up; though really, it began with Kyoya as a polite gesture, and then Tamaki… and soon I was riding the escalator with six hot guys. In another context, perhaps, I would have appreciated the gesture- but right now I was just so _done_. I didn't let them get past the door, though my ruckus was apparent from the front door.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up again, and said to me that he would be dispatching helpers to tidy up the apartment. I disagreed, he pushed- we bargained, and then settled on a weekly intrusion. I literally slammed the door in their faces after we bid each other goodnight, and caught a sly whisper, muffled by the door:

"She's really _something else._"

I wanted to yell something sarcastic back, but for now, it was just me and apple juice.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!

AN: I cannot begin to describe the number of times I tried not to type a smiley face (specifically this one- :D) at the end of some sentences and dialogues.


	10. Chapter 8

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 9

AN: hey guys! It seems like the chapters are getting progressively longer! And side-tracking a little... But not to worry! I've got everything planned out- yay :D

To be honest, I'm really afraid of turning Rachel into a Mary-Sue with her romantic entanglements, but I can assure you that I have absolutely no intention of doing so. There might be some... situations that make it seem like she's liked by everyone, but... no. I'm not sure if I just killed off your dreams or made you happier, but that's what I'm doing. I'll probably explain the intention of the story at the very end.

Thank you for all the reviews, because I know my writing is actually quite rambly and horrible, and there's no romantic action (as of now)! Which makes for quite a dull OHSHC fanfiction. But I guess I couldn't have gotten far without you guys, so thank you, and here's chapter 9!

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

"Rachel Cho! Why didn't you reply me! I've texted you six times since last night, and you-" I pulled the phone away from my poor, abused ear.

"Chill, Mao. I'm good. Totally good. Yeah." I rolled my eyes, and checked out myself in the mirror. "I'm in the toilet now, if you're wondering."

"Too much information!" she shrieked at me again. "But, what _are_ you doing?"

"I thought you didn't want that much information?" I giggled silently, and combed my fringe.

"Unnecessary information, that is. What's going on?"

"Man, I really, intensely dislike this bunch of guys called the Host Club. When you come back, don't forget to disassociate with them. They suck." I leaned against the wall and watched the door.

"Really? How bad? I thought they were supposed to be pretty hot."

"They are pretty and hot, but they're just horrible," I complained. "Especially the twins. And Tamaki. Even worse in real life."

"Wait, who?"

"Umh, you don't know them, right… Well, there are two black haired guys, two blonde guys and two red-haired guys and there's this brunette girl-pretending-to-be-a-guy thing yeah. It looks like a big bunch of pairings with one intruder. Anyway. The black haired peeps first. The one with the glasses is Kyoya Ootori-"

"You mean Ootori Kyoya, right?"

"Whatever. Anyway. The tallest one is Morinozuka Takashi but everyone calls him Mori-sempai. Moving on! To the blondes. The weirder one is the King of the Host Club, who is Suoh Tamaki. He also happens to be the son of the superintendant," I paused, trying to pronounce the word. "Anyway. The red-heads are the twins. The one who sounds more mellow is Kaoru, and the meaner one is Hikaru."

"Woah, woah, information overload," she warned. "No."

"What?"

"Is it break time there? And what did you mean by 'in real life'?" She pushed, and I felt that I was stepping on thin ice.

"We-ell, it is break time now. I still have ten minutes left." I shrugged.

"And?"

"Nothing…" I muttered.

The door to the toilet creaked open slowly, and I took that as a cue from whatever holy divine intervention that the phone call should be ended without much more hesitance.

"Someone's here, gotta go!" I whispered and hung up on Mao.

The person who entered gave me a look-over, and paused, as if trying to remember my name and my non-existent wealth and social status. Her eyes widened in realisation, and she smiled. I tried to remember her- from my class? I hadn't joined any clubs as for now, so the only circle of people I would interact with would be those from my class and the Host Club. I smiled politely back.

"Don't you remember me, Fuwa-san? I'm Kurakano Momoka," she said, a worried look etched on her face. "You haven't been talking to any of our peers much lately, so…"

Well, the reason I don't talk to them is because they don't provide an opportunity for me to enter their conversation! They keep shooting me odd, pitiful looks and dispersing away into little dandelions. I can't help it that people are _repulsed_ by me? I laughed, and shrugged.

"Well, I'll try," I said vaguely, and started to walk by her. "They just keep ignoring me."

"Oh, Fuwa-san, if you don't mind me asking…" she trailed off. "Why are you wearing the male's uniform?"

I glanced down at the blazer and tie. "Well, it's gotten a lot colder, so I thought I'd want to wear something that's more suited to this weather… And besides, it's not like I don't alternate."

"A-ah. I think that might be why they've been ignoring you? You should stick to the female uniform. It'll be a lot more helpful, and besides, I think it's better to stay-"

"To conform?" I interjected, staring at her embarrassed face. "They must have pretty strict social laws around here, eh…"

She nodded, and then sighed, before straightening up and giving me a no-nonsense face. "I'm afraid so, Fuwa-san. It's… admirable that you try to stand up against those etiquettes, but I hope you'll try to fit in better. For the sake of your welfare and everyone else's."

She was the class vice-president, wasn't she… I nodded, and smiled, before exiting the toilet. Momoka Kurakano… She was Haruhi's resident customer, no? I looked down at my (flat) chest, and thought about it for a while.

"Anyway, that's just dumb," I concluded; Princess Rachel the peasant slug was happy where she was.

"As expected from you." I ignored the voice and continued walking towards the classroom.

I wasn't sure who it was, but if he was already insulting me, then I had no business whatsoever with him. I had a good guess who it was, but c'mon, it's not like he has an illness that forbids him from being _nice_ or at least, stop him from spouting insults at me every time we meet. Is that so hard? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

"Stop acting like a kid already," the voice said irritably. "And change into the female's uniform. It's unbecoming."

I smiled, and hastened my pace. So I was already getting to him? Wow, big deal. If he's acting like a jerk already, then I'm not going to waste my time trying to be polite. Civil, yes. But that's as far as it goes. This far, no further. And I'm not actually enjoying this- being mean- unlike him, and I'd bet that he secretly enjoys being a jerk and being unnecessarily horrible towards other people. Who is he to order me around?

He grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him- oh _god _why can't he just leave me alone? I was perfectly fine, and then it just went downhill when he started breathing my air and enunciating words into the common atmosphere. Why was he bothering to intrude into my personal space bubble when he didn't even so much as glance at me for the first five days? I don't even know why I'm pissed, but he's definitely not helping. I didn't ask for this- I only asked for a dreamy world and a happy place with cake. That's all.

I didn't ask to have a plate of attitude shoved right into my face.

"Shut up, Hikaru," I snapped. "If you can't even try to be civil, then just shut up, okay."

He stared at me for a while, "I'm not Hikaru."

"As if." Liar.

"Why do you say that I'm Hikaru?"

That was one answer I didn't think of.

But if there was one thing I was good at, it was probably lying. "Lucky guess. Look, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, but I don't like the way you're treating me; I don't need your bitchy attitude, and I'm sure you don't want to breathe in the gas that I have been polluting with my existence. You're repulsed by the very idea of me, so why don't you just go and play with other people who will better appreciate you?"

"Fine, be that way." And then he strode away.

Like a stuffed, conceited peacock that needs to be shaved.

What is his problem? I _apologized_, just in case he's offended by me ignoring him or anything, and then he struts off like I'm some peasant and I don't deserve an actual answer? Wow, that's really gracious of him. And he's from the Host Club! How _charming_! God, he's only ever been concerned about Haruhi, so why the heck does he find the need to poke into my miserable life? It's not like I'm aching for a bit of human interaction, is it?

What a stuck-up pony.

* * *

I have never been more confused in my life about Math. One moment we were on a smooth-sailing Calculus ship, and the next, a storm of Biology and Organic Chemistry took over, with pirates of Japanese History and Modern Literature attacking the lesson. Surprisingly, everyone- but me- followed. I have no idea how they switched from Math and numbers to weird animal heart drawings in three sentences. I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with this world. Maybe a technical problem or a glitch.

Maybe the magnetic field of this universe is screwed up because of my appearance into this world. Not that it's unlikely, but I'm not so sure if I'm flattered that I wield so much power over the universes. Or perhaps I made a crack in the time-and-space continuum? Double unlikely.

I slowly packed up my things, before slumping onto the table. I didn't want to move. Nor did I want to socialise. And I needed a phone that could work in this world.

"Fuwa-san," Haruhi spoke. "Would you like to come with us to the Host Club?"

No.

But then again, there's Kyoya there. Which means transportation back to the storage of apple juice.

… Apple juice sounds tempting.

I looked up at her, and smiled. "That sounds really cool. Do you mind waiting for me for a bit?"

Well, at least someone around here's nice. I shoved everything on my desk into my bag, forced it shut, and followed Haruhi. To tempt her to the dark side where we bathe in apple juice. And cookies. Surprisingly, Haruhi seemed like a very transparent character. I swear, I can find nothing that shows her evil side (if she even has one).

"…And so, I was just going to approach them, when they just changed the subject from me to new cashmere socks," I complained.

"It was probably just a coincidence," she said reassuringly.

"And just this morning, Kurakano-san came and warned me to stay normal. How do you even stand them," I said, scratching my head. "Wait, you guys haven't done Bali yet, right? The tropical stuff?"

She looked over at me- brown doe eyes blinking innocently. "No…?"

I nodded, and decided that I should change the tracks of this conversation train. "So, did you understand half the things that were said in class? I didn't really get them down…"

She smiled and said, "Yeah. Would you like my notes?"

"That's cool. Can I copy them down during the Host Club hours? I'll return them to you by the end of the session so that you'll be able to study at home!" I said, almost banging into a pillar. "Hey- Fujioka-san, what day is it?"

"It's only Tuesday," she said, not noticing my near-death experience as she dug around in her bag for her notebook. "And… just 'Haruhi''s fine."

"Yeah." I paused, and then- for good measure, added, "Haruhi."

After that, she stayed silent- and I was grateful for that silence. Walking down the corridor with her suddenly made me feel targeted. She was a blunt person, but somehow I think we both knew that I wasn't going to let our acquaintanceship get anywhere far. I just hoped that she didn't think it too bad, or misinterpret, but then again, I wasn't going to interfere and make my thoughts known. I had no intention of being her friend- or anyone else's friend, for that fact.

Having something left behind in this world, no matter how insignificant, just made it seem like I was meant to stay and not go home. It was stupid of me to think so, but I couldn't help feeling so guilty towards myself. As though some part of me would fade away into Mao Fuwa and forget all about Rachel Cho. I didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing, but I was afraid of it.

When we entered the third music room, I realised that episode two had just began; the room was in full bloom tropical mode. And they had turned up the heater, causing it to feel a little hot. I left Haruhi for Mori's table, and planted myself firmly there, just zoning out. Half an hour later, when I realised that it was too hot for my liking, I removed my blazer and took out my tie, before haphazardly folding up my sleeves. I felt a lot cooler after doing that (in ways more than one). A cup was placed in front of me, and I held it up, inspecting it.

"Apple juice…?" I asked aloud, looking to Mori.

"Yeah."

I have never seen a shirtless and handsome guy in real life, so I was very pleasantly surprised (to put it lightly) to see Mori topless in his tropical-get-up. I forced myself to look away- and tried to wipe that goofy little grin off my face. Sipping my apple juice, I let my eyes wander about the place. It was very tropical, like the parks you'd find in Singapore- except that we didn't have so many flowers blooming everywhere. I kinda missed the ragingly hot weather in Singapore (while we had unexpected rainfall here and there, it felt nice and snug in the sun). I wondered how Nicole was doing…

"Mori-sempai, Honey-sempai said that we're friends, right…?" I asked.

All I got was a stare from him. "You don't want to be friends."

I wasn't sure if he was asking that, or stating that, so I shrugged. "No."

"Ah."

"Say, if you were… stuck- let's say you were lost in another country, and you have no means to get back- this is all hypothetical, of course- but you want to get back to your own country. And you think that there might be a way- but it's not immediate… would you think it wise… to live that life? Considering that you've swapped places with someone! … Yeah, that sounds dumb," I said softly. "What would you do?"

He stared at me again, and I was sure he had no idea what I was getting at. I bit my lip and took another gulp of the apple juice. Of course he wouldn't be able to answer me- I had no idea what rubbish I just blurted out- but I really wanted instructions and someone to at least give me an inkling of what I should do. I placed the cup down on the table, and realised that I had to copy Haruhi's notes. Looking up at Mori, I realised that he had given up on whatever that I said- or tried to ask, and instead focused on copying the notes as neatly as possible. There was two day's worth of notes in here! How did she manage to get so much information?

"I would live that life."

I glanced up at him. "Really?"

"Ah."

I realised that I had written something wrongly, and went to correct it. "But- getting back home partially depends on whether you want to do it, and if you lived another person's life for her, it wouldn't be fair, and if you did manage to get home, you'd never see those friends again. The thing is, you'd start to forget all about yourself, and I don't want that."

"Ah."

"I mean," I hastened to correct myself. "If I were in that situation."

"Is it so bad to forget?"

I considered my answer for a bit. "It is."

"Ah." He didn't sound convinced.

"I have a family and friends from my own world- and if I do forget about them- even if the person who's taking my place might care for them like I would, it just isn't- I mean, I'd be lying to them, and I'd be lying to myself, and I don't want that. I mean, names are just names, right? But I can't stand-" and then I shut up.

"You are afraid," he said.

I looked up- a fatally wrong move, because I swear my heart missed a beat. He looked as though he knew what was going on, and he knew that something was wrong with me. I didn't like that look. And so I laughed, trying to shake off the awkward, and continued copying down the notes in a blur. He stayed silent, and I didn't know whether I liked it better that way or not- because his silence sounded sharp and accusing. And the worst thing was that I felt _guilty_ for not telling him everything.

I looked at Haruhi's notebook, and found that something was off; She had labelled three different dates for the notes.

* * *

By the time the Hosting hours were over, I returned Haruhi's notes to her. The Host Club seemed to have a meeting after the hours, so I stayed back and watched as they discussed how they wanted Haruhi to look more like a girl.

"Frankly, the only people who know that you're a girl are the members here!" Tamaki yelled.

The twins explained why, and Tamaki pulled out a chest. I tuned out of the conversation. I always thought that Tamaki was being selfish in the scene. And besides, it was pretty irritating of him to order people around to stick to his idea of what the world was- even if he did call Kyoya 'mommy'.

"If you can't master the waltz in one week…" Wow, that was fast. "…And show it off at the party, you will have to expose yourself as a girl and be demoted back to trivial chores!" How selfish.

But seriously, Haruhi never did mention to the school that she was a male; in fact, she just cut her hair and wore the male uniform, causing people to assume that she was a male. Look at her feminine features- her big watery eyes are a huge giveaway already! I sighed, and continued texting Mao pictures of cats.

"So, who shall be Haruhi's dance partner, my lord?" Hikaru asked.

"It can't be someone taller than her…" Kaoru added. "Like you."

At that, Tamaki slumped, and went into his mushroom-growing corner. I gawped- wow, to think that I can see someone in real life actually growing out mushrooms… That is an amazing talent. He turned his head to look at me pitifully. I shrugged.

"M-mommy, even Mao is ignoring me…" he wailed.

I paused. Wait, if they knew who Mommy was yesterday night, then why did they have that revelation just then…? I probably remembered the episode wrongly.

Everyone was staring at me, even Haruhi.

"Say, _she_ could be Haruhi's dance partner," the twins said, purposefully not using my name.

"No."

"No?" Hikaru asked.

"No," I repeated. "I'm not interested. Besides, I'm not going to the dance."

Tamaki rose from his corner and pointed a particularly shiny finger (does he have a lifetime supply of sparkles or something?) at me. With a smug look, he ordered, "Since you are the Host Club's daughter, you have to go! And I will not tolerate you wearing clothes like _those_!"

"Excuse you," I said lazily. "You're wearing clothes like _these_, too!"

But he ignored me. "How un-ladylike! You will have to practise the female part of the waltz-"

"No."

"As your king, I order-"

"I'm not in the Host Club, so, no." I rolled my eyes.

"But-" Tamaki tried again.

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" I put on the blazer and stuffed the tie into my already-full bag.

"Mommy, do something! Our child is being disrespectful!" Kyoya pushed his glasses up at the mention of his title, and made them glint, again.

I was sure that that guy had no dirt on me, and so I was safe from a night of socialising and weird ball gowns. Even if there might be cute girls and cute food. And six handsome men in suits and cashmere vests. Oh god.

"Your supply of apple juice is running dangerously low," he said, looking through his book. "The delivery of new crates was supposed to arrive tomorrow, but I think-"

"Okay, fine. I'll go," I bristled.

The Shadow King smiled. Of course he was the one to oversee the apartment, the food, oh, and _my life._ I grumbled. Live my life? When he was the one running it? Well, that's dangerously easy. I paused. I hadn't packed anything that was worth wearing to the ball.

"I don't have a dress," I said. "Or anything half-way formal."

Sometimes I forget how it's like to be a heiress to a bundle of money. I shrugged awkwardly at their incredulous stares, and sighed. Maybe I really wasn't going anywhere…

"Hikaru, Kaoru! Get something for this poor kitten!" Tamaki ordered, breaking the silence.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I didn't have to go?" I whined.

The twins looked at me dubiously, and shrugged simultaneously.

"I'm not so sure, my lord," Kaoru began to say.

"She doesn't seem like much to dress up," Hikaru said, and then added, "Look at her lack of a chest!"

I rolled my eyes. Biased, snarky, stupid rich bastards. Look, was it so hard to go one day without either ignoring me or insulting me? This wasn't fair- and I knew I couldn't do anything to them because of the damned time-and-space continuum whatchamali. So instead, I stood there stonily and pretended not to care. Because, you know what, I shouldn't be letting them get to me. I don't need to patronize them. They're just stupid little things that happened to get in the way of my life.

Tamaki then proceeded to give a long-winded speech about how important it was to treat a lady with respect, and that appearance was not all that mattered. I yawned into my hand, and watched as the twins toyed around with Haruhi, playing with her hair and teasing her. I swallowed, and looked down at my rumpled shirt. This wasn't what I asked for when I told the stranger that I would rather be in the world of Ouran Academy. But then again, I'm not much of a lady to begin with. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	11. Chapter 9

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 10

AN: Heya guys! This is where Princess Rachel the peasant slug finally gets crowned! Yay :D heh, just joking! Tomorrow's Christmas in where I am, so I figured that I should upload this one first, before creating a Christmas special! _/pulls out microphone/ _WHO WANTS A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL? *cricket sounds*

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

Wednesday came, and faltered. The weather got worse, and I couldn't bring myself to wear the female's uniform because of the way the wind cut at my skin. So I remained alone in class, doodling, as the teacher changed the topic, and looked weirdly. I couldn't place my finger on it, but the teacher looked like he was morphing, and the rest of the class didn't seem to notice. I took it that I was too tired, and just ignored everything he said.

I wanted to delay going to the Host Club- since when had they held sessions so frequently?- but to my surprise (and partial horror), the twins captured me and sprinted at the speed of light towards the third music room. I was probably the last person they wanted to associate with, and that is quite an understatement- considering that the feelings of distaste was mutual. Kaoru was probably a tad nicer about some things, but Hikaru was probably the devil's spawn.

There was an army of mannequins with elegant and beautiful dresses on (and I fell in love again). I gawked, they posed, and I turned to my captors to ask,

"What the hell?"

The rest of the host club was in there, looking through the mannequins. Somehow, this scene reminded me of the time when they were choosing a swimsuit for Haruhi. I raised an eyebrow. Was this for me?

"The ball will be starting in four hours," Kaoru explained, and shot me a smile. "So choose a dress."

"Wow," I said softly.

He shoved me towards a bunch of mannequins, and I looked around, trying to find something that wasn't too flashy or extravagant. This was fun- like shopping. I used to shop around with my mom, but she was restricted to the adult's section, and I was restricted to her, so I didn't have many choices. But now- it was like paradise. And some of these dresses- they were just so lovely! I tried on a few of them, and finally picked out a simple black dress with a white ribbon around the waist and ended at my knees with white lacey stuff. It flared out quite nicely when I spun about, looking at myself in the mirror.

I cheered- as silently as I could, and laughed at how silly I was acting. But this dress was pretty, and it felt quite comfortable. The only problem was that it didn't have sleeves. I checked myself out from all angles, and found that I still looked like a child, and sighed. Still, I felt like a princess.

When one of the twins approached me- I didn't know who it was- I merely smiled unabashedly and said, "Thank you."

He shrugged, and led me away without saying another word. I was sat down on a chair, in front of a vanity mirror, when two maids came and helped me with my transformation. My hair was straightened, put into a braid, undone, placed into a bun- in general, fussed around as they tried to decide what was best for me. I tried suggesting a normal ponytail, but was given a cup of apple juice to shut me up.

As I sat, I started to think. Wait, wasn't the ball a week away since the second episode? Why was it today? Or did I remember the things wrongly again? And didn't Kyoya tell me that the Host Club functioned only once a week? Was I really getting so forgetful? I hummed softly around the edges of the cup, and decided that this was probably the only time in my life I was about to get fussed over, so I might as well enjoy it.

In the end, they decided on a flowing waterfall braid style. Not that there was much hair to 'flow', so to speak. My hair was only collar-length, but the way they fashioned it made me look like I just popped out from a copy of Vogue. Not that I'm complaining, but it didn't feel like me. When they started to put on my make-up, I just sat it through and tried not to sneeze. There was a lot of powder, and I didn't really use any make-up back home. The only time I tried was when we had a class performance.

Looking at my own reflection, I almost couldn't recognize myself. I looked different. I looked… grown-up. Prettier. Much more mature. I smiled at the image in the mirror. Mom and Dad would be proud to see me like this. A grown-up lady. And Roland would probably tease the heck out of me before hugging the living soul out of me. I chuckled.

I strapped my heels on- equally black and shiny, and tried not to trip as I exited the preparation room into the main music room. The mannequins were removed, and the Host Club was all around, trying out their own outfits and so on. No one noticed me, and I bit my lip. What was I expecting? Gasps and compliments? Even with this whole façade on, I wasn't a lady after all. Just Princess Rachel the peasant slug.

I wobbled into the room. Haruhi was the first to turn around. She gave me a kind smile, and nodded, before turning back to her own tie. Honey was the next to turn around, and his reaction caught more attention from the rest than I did.

"Mao-chan, you look so pretty!" he squealed. "Doesn't she, Takashi?"

"Ah." I twitched at the answer.

"You look wonderful, my darling daughter! How gorgeous!" Tamaki said excitedly and in one fell swoop, hugged me up into the air. "Doesn't she look beautiful, Mommy?"

I flailed, he struggled, and we fell onto the ground clumsily. I stood up, and fell again, due to the heels. After making sure that I hadn't twisted my ankle, I kneeled and rearranged the strap on my heel. Tamaki helped me up, and I thanked him for his compliments.

"That's how I want you to dress up like, Haruhi! Learn from your sister!" he cried out to Haruhi, and I twitched again, before banging him on the head.

Kyoya nodded at me, and then returned to his _cashmere vest_. The twins trotted over to where I was, and leant on me from both sides.

"Well, we'd have to say that you look decent enough, Mao," Kaoru said.

"Maybe someone will dance with you tonight," Hikaru added. "I mean, you look so.. unlike yourself."

Kaoru looked at his brother. "But we'll dance with you if no one else does, right?"

"But really, just _maybe_." Hikaru looked away, and adjusted his tie.

I shrugged their arms off. I was going to _sparkle_ tonight, and I didn't care for what the twins said. Because really, I was certain that no one would. Still, who said you had to have a partner to dance? …Yeah. I'd be by the fruit punch if you need me.

"So, do I go out now or?" I asked.

"The party begins in an hour, so you should stay here," Kaoru said, and then the twins were gone from my side. He sounded a lot kinder- and somehow that made everything better, and worse at the same time.

I went to my pile of clothes and looked around for my phone. Texting Mao seemed like a pastime that I had gotten too used to. She had forgotten about my slip-up about Ouran being a fictional world, and was now expanding on more theories.

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: stop tat ok. geez im having a party n I look really good now im a princess yey_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: What? What party? _

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: d host club has a party they organized 2 look flowers _

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: btw smth stranges going on ok like there r weird time things ppl keep contradicting themselves n somehow phantom time keeps passing by_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Oh. Cool. We didn't have anything much going on today. Except you spamming pictures of cats. Hey, will you send me a photo of yourself?_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: no_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: I really want to know how you look like._

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: dude I look like u duh_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: I am _two years older_ than you. Anyway, I borrowed a book from the library. I hope it'll enlighten us on some part of this phenomenon. Don't bother me._

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: srsly_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: r u really ignoring me_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: geez fine ill go look for hot ppl_

…

_To: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: oi oi oi the twins were mean today ok once u get back dont talk 2 them ok? ok._

I shut my phone, and wondered if this was payback for not replying her text , this didn't feel like such a good idea. If they extended their invitation to the patrons of the Host Club, didn't it mean that there would only be females there…? Even if the tea guy was going to be there, he makes for one guy and he's taken! There would be lots of ladies badgering over just seven hosts, no?

I glanced around the room, and felt as though- as though it would be somehow magically better if one of the hosts was interested in me for some reason. I considered my options for a moment. It might seem most possible if Hikaru was interested in me, seeing as he went out of his way to 'agitate' me. But I didn't think that that was it- I might be better convinced if I were prettier (like those make-everyone-sexually-frustrated pretty girls), and if I was from a richer family. Only guys in anime and shows acted like tsunderes. And while this was an anime after all, I didn't see them as anime characters. Furthermore, with all the 'types', I wasn't so sure if my knowledge in the anime would give me the upper hand.

Mori was hot, that much was certain. But he only saw me as a little sister. And besides, we hadn't talked much. I sighed. This was really dumb of me to try and think that I was any more special than plain Rachel. As I considered my choices- which was really quite suspiciously convenient, seeing that there were five hot guys (excluding Haruhi and Tamaki- I'm not touching canons, that's for sure!)- I looked at my phone again, just in case someone would accuse me of staring. There was just a few more minutes till the ball, and today was…

I squinted at the date.

F-friday?!

Wasn't it Wednesday?

Wait-

"Alright, let's get to the party, it's almost time," Kyoya said.

I was ushered out of the room, before Kyoya locked it up. I stared after them- unsure and still in shock. Kyoya shot me a smile, and his glasses glinted, before he suavely strutted away. I smiled back, unsure. I tried to follow, but it seemed like my feet and overall body coordination were against me. I wobbled, and with a ghastly shriek, fell. I looked somewhat like the part of a princess, but I was in no way a princess. Sighing, I tried to get up. Someone pulled me up, and when I looked, I couldn't recognise who it was.

She smiled, and said, "Hey, you alright there?"

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Uchihara Makoto, pleased to meet you. You're in my class, aren't you?" she looked me over, and I did the same.

She was all dressed-up, with a green mermaid gown with jewels. I hesitated- looking down at my slightly ruffled dress. Well, it wasn't like I hadn't had a reputable reputation in class. I smiled politely at her, wondering what she had intended to do… with me. Now that I noticed, she was quite fit and tanned- an athlete, perhaps?

"Fuwa Mao," I said.

"You're going for the party too, right? C'mon, let's go. I'm pretty sure it's started already," she dragged me along, and I twitched, uncomfortable that she was already treating me like one of her best friends.

"If you don't mind me being frank, what are you doing?" I asked, being helplessly dragged along. "I've been pretty much invisible since the first week. To everyone."

She suddenly came to a halt, causing me to slip. She caught me, though, and helped me up again. "Well. You're fine. You just never seemed like you wanted to talk to us, and-"

"Bullshit," I snapped. "Uchihara-san, please cut the crap and get to the point."

"Class politics. It wasn't safe for us to befriend you," she said, and I was surprised at how blunt she was. "You wouldn't mind, would you? Daughter of authors ought to be more… eccentric."

I shook her arm off, sure that she was trying to insult me. But when I caught the look on her face, she laughed, and grabbed me along anyway. She continued, "But I hope you don't mind, really. Your little… gender-mixing stunt has gotten us all perplexed as to the type of person you are. And it's inspired me to put my… concerns aside."

"But- class politics," I said, questioningly.

"Don't you know? Wow, you haven't done your research, have you?" she nodded. "The Uchihara clan is specially trained in Kendo. I've had enough of pretending to sip tea and prance around."

"B-but your dress!" I said again, confused. "I mean- I'm actually confused- but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Horrible mistake, really," she said, shrugging as she pushed open a fancy door.

"What can I say? Daughters of authors tend to be eccentric," I reminded her, and laughed.

We watched, gossiped about the dresses, acknowledged each other's needs for apple juice and coffee individually. She was much more graceful than I was, and when it came to the dance, we watched as the Hosts swept the other ladies away. I sighed, and made my way towards the fruit punch table. Makoto followed after me, yammering about how English was so hard. But before we reached our destination, she was swept away by another guy- a charmer, really- and I was left alone with my apple juice.

But when I got there, there was no more apple juice left. I laughed at my pitiful situation, and wobbled out of the room. It was cold outside, and I shuddered, before reaching a beautiful walkway with roses, a gargoyle, and a mirror that had a golden frame. Ouran was big, and rich, but this place was lovely- more so in the night. And somehow that made me feel a lot more comforted. I danced a bit, skidded on my heels, tore them off from my feet, tip-toed on the cold marble tiles, and admired myself in the mirror. A lot.

The bell tolled, and I had a sense of deja-vu. I felt like Cinderella, or some sudden princess. If it started drizzling rose petals, and if I had a glass slipper, perhaps I could pull the fairytale idea off. Looking at the gargoyle, I bit my lip, and decided to just have fun- extended my hand, and an offer to dance along with it. I chuckled, and swayed awkwardly around the stony statue.

"You must be desperate if you're looking to dance with that," a voice interrupted the magical moment, and I whirled around to glare at the offending intruder.

"Don't you have hosting duties?" I held onto the statue. "Or are you just so interested in me that you have to come and ruin every single part of my life?"

"I don't like you. You're just troublesome and attention-seeking," he said lazily, leaning against the door.

"That's rich, coming from you," I said, and without thinking too much, pushed him out of the way and stormed off into the building.

I really wished I could put his insults down to his conflicted affections, but I'm absolutely sure that I hate him. Lingering by the corridor, unwilling to return to the party after my mood had soured, I sighed. Did it really matter? The party was probably over. Biting on my thumb, I pulled on the door handle and entered the ballroom, only to realise that everyone was stepping out into a balcony. And somehow, Hikaru had already made it out there. Haruhi's kiss should be some moments later, and that would have concluded the end of episode two.

I revelled in the warmth that the indoors heating system provided, and glanced at how the whole ballroom was so flamboyantly decorated. Just like Tamaki. Even the soft fuzzy carpet was-

I slammed my head against a wall. I had forgotten about my shoes. Taking a deep breath and braving the cold once more, I went out in search of those troublesome shoes. But now, there was no more classical ballad playing from the ballroom, and it was just silent. I looked at my shoes, lying in the middle of the pavement awkwardly, and suddenly felt like crying.

As much as I tried to look the part of a lady, I just couldn't be one, could I? Sure, I looked brilliant tonight, but I knew that there was something deeper inside that ruined this whole get-up. Hikaru was mean, but he was right to a certain extent. I just didn't fit. Some part of me- too huge and ugly, _defiled_, unable to be melded into the right shape. Even if I wanted to be a part of this elegant and super-rich world, I was just Rachel Cho. A fourteen year-old kid who drank too much apple juice. I wanted out. I wanted done. God, can't Mao Fuwa just come and reclaim her rightful position amongst all these perfect people? A pixel amongst other pixels, I laughed, feeling a little too cruel and yet bitter all the same.

"Hey, you know- I'm sorry," a voice, trying to sound more masculine, said from somewhere behind me.

It was Kaoru, no doubt, even though he tried to act like Hikaru. I merely said, "Yeah."

I looked down at my shoes, and sat down.

"You saw through me, didn't you?" he returned to his normal voice.

I played with the straps of my shoe, and nodded. "Yeah."

He sat down beside me, and I felt like a puppy who had been kicked in the gut with a fat load of sympathy crap and alligator tears. So I said softly, "You know what, just get back into your own world. I don't matter enough for it to hurt- and even Haruhi hasn't found her way into your world yet, so what the heck? Just stop pretending like you care, because you don't. You shouldn't. Not yet."

He sat silently for a moment. "Yeah, I don't. But Hikaru needs to apologize."

"So why are _you_ here?"

He looked at me with a weird expression for a moment, and shrugged. "I guess it's because Haruhi told us to apologize."

"Right. Whatever." I strapped my shoes on, and stood up hastily. "We should go back in. Don't wanna get sick."

And he left. I was somewhat grateful that he left, but still confused, because I was sure that I had seriously just screwed the plotline up, because Kaoru didn't exhibit that kind of behaviour until the later episodes, when Haruhi changed him. And while there was this sense of impending doom looming over me, I couldn't help but feel slightly happier that I had twisted this universe to accommodate my presence. That I had left some kind of mark in this world that I didn't belong to.

* * *

AN: I wanted Makoto to offer Rachel a dance, but then decided against it. Besides, isn't Makoto just a tad bit... _suspicious_? ;D

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	12. Chapter 10

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 11

AN: To **thecrazymonkey**, haha, I didn't really think of that, but I drew the connection after you mentioned it, and wow, that is a little creepy. But anyway, the revealing of Rachel's true identity probably wouldn't happen... yet. It'll take a while more before she trusts them... or they find out. :D

This chapter is going to be a bit weird- it'll either mess you up, or it'll clear some things up for you guys. But damn, Mao is pretty smart.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

I slumped onto my desk. The night after the party had been relatively peaceful, and Kyoya accompanied me back to the apartment. I made a stop at the mall, and felt _awkward_. It wasn't just because of my lack of social skills, but in general- it felt like something was tugging at my skin. When I passed by the cake shop, it looked weird, too. I wasn't sure if I had accidentally consumed alcohol, but the shop just looked _weird_. Like it was twisting and squeezing itself to morph into a certain shape. And the people who entered the shop seemed to just… melt into it. Like a chameleon, blending in with the strange sheen of the shop. Kyoya declared me unwell by the fifth minute, and I never really got to the bottom of that mystery.

Unless I was really drunk, that is.

So, when the twins came into class with different coloured hair, I took it as part of my imagination, and ignored it. But when they started flinging things around at each other, and took my phone, I banged on my table, and screamed at them. They paused in their antics for a few seconds, while I went to retrieve my phone- luckily unbroken, though its card fell out- and went back to my seat. I tried fixing my phone, placing the card back in, but looked up, and saw that everyone was warping into strange, elongated figures. I was probably hallucinating, but damn, did my head throb. I rubbed my eye, and gripped onto the edges of my table before I fell.

Darkness and silence was comforting. I fell into a world of numbers, all green and shaky. I felt the world in front of me split and crack open- like an egg- and I fell into the hole. The numbers from above me started descending and vanishing, while some other numbers stood, looking into the hole at me.

Strangely, when I tried to remember what happened after I woke up, I only remembered a number; 13. I tried to get up, and found that I was in a rather pinkish room, on a comfortable sofa. A hand guided me to a sitting position, and gave me a cup of water. It was a girl wearing the Lobelia uniform. I tried to pre-empt any kidnapping, and explain that I needed to find Kyoya. But when I blinked, she was gone. I looked around the room, and found another bout of migraine attacking at my already weakened senses. Just then, Honey walked in and opened a cupboard. He took out a teddy bear and slammed it down onto the floor.

"W-wait?" I tried to say, but my throat felt so dry. Was this already the episode with Honey's cavity?

But Honey was wearing a crazy dress and a wig, and his face was powdered- wasn't this the Lobelia episode? And when Tamaki appeared, trying to calm Honey down, Tamaki was wearing a waiter's uniform. Wasn't that the physical examination episode?

"Are you alright, Fuwa-san?" a kind voice asked, and I realised that Kyoya was talking to me.

"No- can't you see what's going on?" I realised that Kyoya was wearing his normal school uniform. "Why are they all wearing different costumes?"

"Are they?" His glasses glinted, and he regarded me curiously.

"Yes! Kyoya, tell me I'm not hallucinating, please." I turned back to the Host Club, and saw that the customers were walking around and disappearing into thin air in the middle of their walk, and some appeared out of nowhere and continued as if nothing had happened. "Did I drink something funny? I don't think this is a dream-"

"You fainted in the classroom, Fuwa-san. I advise that you rest and try not to move around too much." I tried to turn my head, but found that someone else was holding my face.

"Such a beautiful, young lady, what are you doing here-" I pulled my head away from her, and tried to get up from the sofa.

"No- you don't understand. Kyoya!" I screamed, trying to look for the cursed glasses on a familiar face, but he wasn't anywhere. "Look, everything's a mess-"

But she was a few feet away from me, trying to conquer Haruhi while the tea cup princess from the second episode was dancing with an invisible Haruhi. Tamaki was calming down Nekozawa's sister, while Mori and Honey were sitting awkwardly, enjoying cake. I didn't know what to make of it, and so I stared, while the room was suddenly filled with mannequins wearing different types of swimsuits. An elementary school kid started jumping around, and Renge was drilling a hole with her high-power motor stage.

Glancing down at something that had fallen off my lap, I realised that it was my phone. I picked it up, and realised that the card wasn't properly put in place. I fixed the problem, and found myself in a quiet, dimmed music room. I looked down at my phone, and fell back onto the sofa. What the hell happened just now? And where was I? Who- how- what- why- _when_? Which part of Ouran's time period was I in? I tried to get up, but stumbled over, and fell flat on my face. Someone probably force-fed me drugs, except that I was still pretty clear about where I was. When? Not so much. I sat up, and tried to reach the door. There wasn't any light coming from outside the windows, so it was probably night time. I started to panic, and that caused my head to throb even more.

Where did everyone go? Last I remembered, I was stuck in the twin's fighting episode… That was the fourth, no, fifth, wasn't it? And then the Lobelia girls… And Renge…? I tried to stand, and wobbled my way over to the door. Leaning against the door, I pushed it open, and almost fell. The sudden light pricked at my eyes, and I groaned, suddenly feeling parched.

"So there you are, Fuwa-san." That was Kyoya's voice- but how? "What's wrong?"

What's wrong?

Oh god he's asking me what's wrong?

_Everything's wrong._

_Everything._

I looked up at him, and shook my head- instantly regretting that action. Oh god my brain was alive and it was going to kill me. My brain was on a suicide mission. It pounded at my skull and at my eyes. I covered my eyes, trying to will the stupid headache away. Clutching at the door, I tuned out of everything, but found that my head was somehow getting heavier, agreeing to the demands of gravity. God, I wanted home. I wanted a magical cure to stop everything. Maybe if I bashed my head against the door-

"I would advise against doing that, Fuwa-san." I realised that I was staring at the door with a vicious intent, and backed away. "Sit."

I fell onto the ground, and he tried to hide a sigh.

"Did you give me drugs?" I blurted out.

"No, why?" He asked, checking my pulse. "What do you feel like?"

"Besides the obvious?"

"Besides the obvious." He shut the door, and I was glad for the absence of light.

I considered it for a while. "Water. I need water."

"As I suspected." I heard him rummage around his bag for a while, before he passed me a bottle of water.

"Are you sure you didn't give me drugs?" I took a sip hesitatingly.

"You can trust me."

I nodded, and felt the throbbing lessen a little. "What time is it?"

"Eight."

"How did I get to be here?"

"The club went out to my family's water park. But I was notified of your disappearance, and found you here."

How did I even manage to skip a few episodes- a few _weeks_ in a blink? Was there a mashing up of timeline and consistency during the time my phone fell and broke? Was my phone a big part in this whole time-and-space continuum?

"Thank you, Kyoya," I found myself saying.

"You're welcome, Fuwa-san."

I tensed, realising that we had never gone past the honorific stage. Was he disturbed by my sudden lack of decorum? He stood up, and I gripped onto his sleeve without much thought. His glasses glinted (how did they do that even in a dim room?) as he stared down at me.

"I mean, Ootori-san. I'm very apologetic for that mistake."

"If you would like yourself to be." He helped me up, and took me back to the apartment.

* * *

"Mao."

"Rachel, it's twelve in the morning- wait, are you crying?"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"What's wrong?"

"Everything." I rolled over on my side.

"You'll need to be clearer than that." Shuffling of feet. "I don't have much longer. I might wake someone up."

"I think I just messed up the time and space continuum big time."

"Did you, now?" she sounded amused. "But seriously, I need you to be clear and concise."

I bit on my thumb. "Eh. It began yesterday, after the party. I stopped by the cake shop, but it was weird. It looked weird, at least. It was trying to morph and it turned into some grey dimensional mess. I couldn't tell what was going on there, but this morning, my phone almost broke, and everything suddenly became so _strange_."

"Are you sure you weren't on drugs?"

"Absolutely!" I scowled. "And then I fainted. But when I came to, I was in the Host Club's room, and it was like a huge mess of plots. The members were in different types of clothing from different episodes- I mean, they were usually coordinated, so it just felt so weird. And then a few people came into the room, here and there- and they just walked normally, disappearing into thin air, and appearing from nowhere! No one seemed to notice anything, and it looked like… it looked like the world was trying to change itself, trying to decide on the time period."

"Is that so… I stayed at home the whole day so I didn't really notice anything. But now that I think about it… there were a few contradictions made by everyone around me… Say, it's Tuesday today, right?"

"It's Thursday where I am. Technically Friday."

"Ah. Then it should be Friday, too… What's with the dates…"

"That's another thing. Somehow, different events from different dates just came up. So anyway, I fixed my phone, and it seems like I'm back to normal time."

"Your phone…?" more shuffling from her side. "Hey, so everything was happening normally until your phone broke down? Maybe it's because our phones are special, and they keep the world from self-destructing?"

"How? You don't think it's the signals, do you?"

She stayed silent for a few moments. "I have a theory. You said that there are many universes, and that they are stacked against each other with vacuums within them, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't think it's possible that there would be vacuums. Instead, replace the vacuum with magnetic fields. Or something that keeps our universes from falling into each other. So, when we switched places, we made a crack in the plates of the universe and the magnetic field-"

"That's impossible!" I exclaimed. "Sorry."

She sighed. "Listen. So when there was a crack in the universes and magnetic field, somehow the magnetic field managed to warp our world. And our phones were giving out signals. All I can currently hypothesize is that somehow, the signals were so strong that they made it through the magnetic fields, and were warped so badly that we could communicate to each other, somehow."

"It doesn't make sense," I said, and yawned.

"Don't you get all sleepy on me now, Rachel Cho! You woke me up! So anyway, as we communicate to each other, we open up the cracks, causing the rest of our universes to be warped. To be honest, I'm surprised that we haven't been swallowed by black holes now-"

"Don't jinx it."

"-so, while we are opening up the crack and worsening our situation, somehow our signals protect each other. Like anchoring onto each other, and so the area we're currently in now, isn't that affected. But it'll begin. So whenever our phones are broken, or stop giving out signals, the warping sets in."

I considered it for a while. It did make sense, no matter how far-fetched it sounded. "So our phones are our top priority?"

"…Yeah, according to that theory."

"Alright, ma'am!" I saluted, and remembered that she couldn't see it anyway. "By the way, I had a strange dream about numbers. And the number thirteen really stood out."

"The numbers are another thing. I still don't understand what they mean, but yes- I almost got the sense that thirteen was somehow important today…"

I thought about it, and wondered if…

"Anyway, I'm starting to feel sleepy. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Nah, it probably wasn't important. "So our world is in a state of chaos and paradox…"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Rachel."

"Night, Mao."

She hung up, and I carefully set my phone down on the bedside table. There was something bugging me about that theory, but I didn't know what it was. Still, it just proved that Mao Fuwa was smart and reliable, and that she was perfect like them all. Shaking my head, I lay on the bed and tried to sleep.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	13. Chapter 11

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 12

AN: I wanted to upload this earlier, but there was some sort of error, because there was an error with the site. I couldn't get through the login/logout page D: ((also what happened to the reviews D:)) but anyway! Another chapter up :D

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

I had never been more thankful for Fridays.

It was just a few more hours left to the weekends, where I would be free to hide in my apartment and deny the world's reality. The weather had miraculously gotten better- the winter cold had magically disappeared, and the summer came. I was sure that that was probably an after-effect of the universe warping. I decided on the female's uniform once I saw the sunshine pouring in through the windows. And somehow, that made me a lot more popular in class. Makoto Uchihara was a good friend- sturdy, reliable, charming.

"So, what's up, Mao?" In less than an hour of interaction, we had gotten to the stage where suffixes were no longer necessary. In fact, she had quite persuasively convinced me of that.

"Nothing much, I guess." Just more inconclusive theories. I shot her a smile- if the universe was dying, I'd better try and make all of our last days more… cheerful. "How about you?"

"You know me. Nothing much. Same ol' sipping tea." she winked. "Hey, you go to the Host Club, don't you?"

"Don't _you_? I hear they sip some good tea."

"Yeah, well. I'm pretty much inclined not to go to such fancy places and marvel at the wonders of having a masculine figure protect me."

"Simplicity is underrated," I agreed.

She shrugged, and left. I was almost thankful for that, because it gave me the peace and quiet I needed in order to happily zone out, but it also left me defenceless and vulnerable to more socialising opportunities. One example of it was currently walking towards me, red hair flaming.

"Hey," he said, and I immediately recognized him as Hikaru.

"Hey yourself."

"We're going to the beach tomorrow."

"I don't want to go."

"Kyoya-sempai encourages you to." Translation: that's an order.

I looked up at him. "Yeah, okay, whatever."

I played with my phone, and sighed. When I looked up, he was still here, looking every bit of the spoiled rich brat he was. He brushed his bangs aside, and leaned down.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay."

"Yeah. You should go back to your seat now." I bit my lip. "Actually, no. Tell me why you've been having a problem with me for the last few days."

"I apologized already-"

"Then _what_ are you apologizing for?" I tried not to falter at his glare. "I'm not trying to pick on you, but I don't think we'd hear the end of it unless we clear this up."

"You could let it go."

"I could." But I'd rather we clear it up and make sure that everything is out in the open, instead of those underlying politics.

He shrugged, and walked away. I was getting more and more confused by Hikaru's behaviour. It generally contradicted everything that was portrayed in the anime. This was probably the most honest and blunt he'd ever been. In front of me, I meant. Maybe he just wasn't ready for the archaeologist stage- and maybe he just wanted to hide behind his curtain of good looks and his twin. I'm just screwing up the character development. I sighed, and banged my face against the desk.

"I leave for a few minutes, and you're kissing the desk? Man, that's really desperate," Makoto's taunting voice lingered somewhere beside me.

"Shut up, Mako. I got invited to a beach party."

"As did the rest of the Host Club's patrons."

"Well, did they have a certain red-headed ass come up to them?" I countered, glaring at her.

"Getting cosy, are we?"

"Just shut up, Mako." I lifted myself off the table. "But you're going, aren't you?"

She shrugged, and slipped into the seat next to mine. "Nah, I doubt it. Bikinis and I don't mix."

"You have a great figure," I deadpanned. "I don't have a swimsuit."

"Really?" she was shocked- and it seemed like a big deal, considering that she wasn't shocked at my lack of manners. "But yeah, you'd look pretty dumb in a one piece."

"No. I meant that I don't have a swimsuit. An actual swimsuit." I tugged at my ponytail, and stared into her face. "Does that seem like a proper reason to not go?"

"They'll probably gift you a swimsuit."

"I don't want a bikini," I said, tapping my pencil against the desk. "I would like to go to the beach, though."

"Well, have fun now, child," she said mockingly and pet my head.

"Yes, _mom_."

* * *

I twitched at the sight of… skimpily-clad ladies, and looked down at my own shirt and shorts. Kyoya reminded me that I had a closet that was full of everything and _anything_, and that I should utilise it fully. So I picked out a singlet and comfy shorts after one night of deliberating. I have to say that he didn't look very appeased about my fashion sense. Or the lack of one.

I retied my ponytail, and looked on at the activities they were having. I was supposed to designate a host, but I had no idea who. My first choice might have been Mori, but he was engaged in some very… educational exercising lessons with Honey. I just wanted to sit at the beach and watch the waves. Haruhi was a little too far from the water, but she was dressed similarly like me.

"So, Fuwa-san, have you decided on your host?" Kyoya asked, and I felt like he was looming over me.

"I don't want to designate a host."

"Well, that would be your own choice. Feel free to approach any of the hosts." And he walked away.

How do you even strut on sand?

In the end, I found a nice piece of rock right by the sea and sat on it. While I couldn't totally mute out the sound of giggly girls and hollering, the waves that kept overlapping; lapping away at the shores in a hypnotic tease. Pull and push, back and forth. The puppeteer and his puppet; the moon and her tides. The water was clear, but it felt like it was slowly engulfing the rest of the rock, working its way up to a roaring crescendo.

I was suddenly afraid. And somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a logical voice that warned me of the dangers of the water. I leaned forward, and tightened my grip on the rock. The ocean was calming, dulling my previous panic into a silent thumping. The waves swished and swoshed, and I saw my own reflection before it dissolved into a few bubbles. My feet was still a few inches away from the surface of the ocean, and I wondered how it would be like to jump into it. I stared, suddenly feeling that my throat was dry and my chest constricted. Then, steadying myself, I looked away, back at the Host Club and its members, and managed to breathe.

Haruhi it was.

The ocean had faded into a soft but steady lull behind me, and I wondered if this was how it felt like to sink into something, so deeply that you had no idea how to look away and breathe. An obsession that was intent on killing you. I was probably thinking too much.

"Hey, Fuwa-san."

"Haruhi." And I sat down next to her.

"It's really bright today, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You don't like to talk, do you?" she laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah." I was doing a complete Mori on her, awkwardly trying to butcher that conversation.

I glanced at her. She looked a little awkward with me, but otherwise, seemed pretty fine. A few girls asked if Haruhi wanted to swim, but she insisted that they do. I still have no idea how she managed to entertain those girls with a few lines like that, but they bought her compliments and rushed off towards the ocean. I had no intention of going anywhere near the sea, mainly because I couldn't swim.

"Do you want to swim, Fuwa-san?" she tried again.

"No. I can't." I looked down at my sandy toes. "You can just call me Mao if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" she was turning sympathetic.

"Yeah, I am." I beamed up at her, and she returned my smile uncertainly.

"You can tell me if anything's wrong, Mao," she offered.

I was going to reply, but was interrupted by Honey calling Haruhi over. I followed her, trying to dispel my boredom. There were buckets of shells surrounding Honey, and Mori was looking over a bunch of rocks. I felt something twitch within me when I saw that Mori was topless, but I decided that I was more or less immune to the charms of the same hot guy. But damn, he was hot. I looked back at Honey.

"Besides, I've never heard of being able to dig up shells around here-" she paused, for we were surrounded by a bunch of crabs.

I jumped and shrieked, caught off guard by the army of crabs. But they were scooped up and placed into buckets with bunnies printed on them. I sighed, and collapsed onto the sand. Haruhi was startled by the number of shells around, and was eagerly helping Honey out, while I made my own sandcastle next to them. Before I knew it, Haruhi had already thrown a centipede away. The fear trial was about to begin, and I was certain that I didn't want to get caught up in it.

"That was so scary, wasn't it?" A bunch of girls started to mumble.

"Haruhi-kun is so manly!"

"And he's so gentle, too…"

I accidentally knocked into them, and apologized. They turned to me curiously before their eyes narrowed. I was pretty sure that they were strict social law abiders, and I didn't like the glint in their eyes.

"Say, what's Mao-_chan_ afraid of?" I swallowed, certain that they didn't like the eccentricities of an author's daughter.

"Well, you wouldn't understand." was my only reply.

They looked miffed, but controlled their irritation. Hikaru suddenly said, "Why wouldn't we understand?"

I turned back to look at him. "Just because."

And then, deciding that I had caused enough attention to be placed on me, I went back to my slumping sandcastle. To be honest, I had no idea what I was afraid of. I was scared of the occasional insect, and of blood, but what was I really fearful of? While I was stuck on that, I did know that Mao was dreadfully afraid of huge storms, like Haruhi. There would be a thunderstorm later on in the night, and I wasn't sure how I was going to fake it. Maybe I would lock myself up in the room…

"Mao~ join us in the cave!" Kaoru yelled, and I stiffened; was I really going to be part of their game?

"No."

"Why not? It'll add to the atmosphere!" He yelled that, and pulled me off to join the rest.

My feet and hands were full of sand, and I tried to wipe them off. But while I did that, I stumbled and fell, scraping my knees. The twins continued with their scaring strategy, and I followed after them, sure that if I didn't, I'd get lost in the cave anyway. The girls were already in tears, but the just kept waving the weird makeshift ghosts around.

"Would you stop it already? They need to get out and you're not helping at all," I said, crossing my arms.

"It-it's okay, Fuwa-san. But can I hold onto you?" And now, I had somehow became a kind of lucky charm.

"Aren't you scared?" the twins asked, and led us out.

"Scared, yes, but not fearful. There's a difference," I said nonchalantly, and walked off.

"Fu- Mao, your knees are bleeding…" Haruhi informed me, and pulled me aside. Must have been when I fell down in the cave.

But she was intercepted by Honey, and I tried to get to Kyoya, only to be intercepted by Mori with a sharp… harpoon, wasn't it? He stared at me stonily, and I shrugged, before asking where I could get help for my bleeding knees. We maintained our silent staring for a while, and I was about to declare myself '600% done' when he suddenly carried me. I stayed silent, trying not to be too much of a weight. He put me down in front of a tap, and I started to wash my legs, trying not to wince. I was probably dumb of me to have gotten sand stuck to my legs.

"Kyoya, someone's hurt."

I waited for a few more moments with a stoic Mori.

"You know, you're gorgeous." I had no idea why I decided to drop a compliment in the middle of nowhere, but I figured it was the blood loss.

"Ah."

"Wait, so you're agreeing that you're gorgeous?"

"It would be rude not to."

"You spoke."

"Ah."

I jinxed it. "Sorry, it's the blood loss speaking."

"I'm insulted." Wait, was he joking? Was the emotionless guy actually joking? Oh sweet jumping popcorns, he's got a sense of humour in him!

"Still gorgeous, though." I looked up at the obnoxiously tall giant.

He smiled down at me, and ruffled my hair. "Thank you."

"You know, about the other time. The hypothetical situation?" I paused. "Thank you for that, too. I'm- I mean, I would still be uncertain if I were stuck in that."

I was pretty sure that he could deduce that I was talking about myself, but he just ruffled my hair again, and kept quiet about it. And I was thankful for that. I paused to look at him, and considered telling him about everything that was happening. I was sure that he could help, and that he wouldn't think me mad. He was like the big brother that I never had.

"Actually, Mori-"

"Ah, Fuwa-san." Damn Kyoya and his horrible timing. "Your knees are scraped."

I nodded, and sat down. Mori left us alone, and I was a little glad for Kyoya's interruption. I wasn't so sure if I was ready to tell them anything, and I wasn't sure why I couldn't just spill the beans, but it just felt dangerous to pull anyone into this with me. And besides, I didn't know them that well yet. Neither did they know who I was; well, that much was certain, considering that I was hiding under Mao Fuwa's identity.

I looked at Kyoya's glinting glasses, and felt like I was drowning in another ocean, sinking like deadweight. He looked back at me, and smiled reassuringly.

"There."

"Thank you, Ootori-san."

"You're welcome, Fuwa-san."

* * *

I spent the rest of the time at the beach, wandering around. The sun was setting soon, and I stared out at the beauty. The horizon was a beautiful lie. I laughed at my own poetics and sat on one of the beach chairs next to Kyoya.

"Mao-san, would you like to come up with us onto the cliff?" Momoka asked.

"I don't think that'll be a good idea-" I tried to excuse myself, but was dragged along with the girls.

So much for trying not to interfere with the time-and-space continuum. How was I supposed to leave the plot undisturbed when I was dragged into every single major event? I sighed and let myself be pulled along. They stood on the cliffs, and admired the setting sun. It looked prettier from here, and it seemed to compensate for the fact that we were about to get into trouble.

"Lucky us." Here it was. "Hey pretty ladies, wanna have some fun with us?"

"Who are you people?" Momoka was grabbed by one of the jerks, and she tried to struggle.

Well, if I was already here, I might as well be of some use. I remember that Nicole once tried to teach me some martial arts. … Either that, or just aim for the crotch. And I kicked him in between the legs, wincing. God, I didn't have to let my feet touch that part of a disgusting human being. He fell down, and his friend came up to me.

"Your friend touched my friend first…?" I tried to reason, but he grabbed me by my shirt anyway.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"Oh, I don't bite… much." And I sank my teeth into his arm.

Jerk #1 recovered quickly, and pushed me off his friend. Just then, Haruhi appeared and threw her bucket of random weird shells onto Jerk #2. She managed to say something heroic, and from my angle, it did look heroic.

"Haruhi-kun!" Momoka cried admiringly.

Where was _my_ praise? I bit into a thick, disgustingly sweaty arm and I let my feet touch Jerk #1's crotch! I tried to get up, but was pulled into Jerk #2's arms. Yep, I'm labelling them like that now. Haruhi was forced towards the edge of the cliff by Jerk #1, and Momoka was gone, trying to get Tamaki's attention. The other two girls were gripped by Jerk #2 as well, and I stamped on Jerk #2's feet. The two girls ran off, while I continued stomping on Jerk #2's feet, as he screamed, and shoved me aside. And if it weren't enough, he added a kick to my knees.

I hate being the side_kick_.

Just then, Tamaki rushed up and, ignoring my bloodied arm (really, it was just my elbow), went to save Haruhi. The twins followed, and started torturing the hell out of the jerks. Well, I was being unnecessary. It seemed like the plot would flow on smoothly without any changes. When we got back on shore, Tamaki started lecturing Haruhi. Everyone was standing around, watching her, but no one bothered about my injuries.

That's dumb, Rachel. Of course they wouldn't care. She's almost died.

But you're the one with the blood!

It's just a scratch.

And so, while they continued their drama- I went to the tap where Mori brought me to this afternoon, and washed my blood off. I gurgled and tried to wash the weird shudder-inciting feeling in my mouth. It probably wasn't too bad, and didn't seem like it would need a plaster.

"Please sit down, Fuwa-san." I jumped; of course my exit didn't go unnoticed by Kyoya.

I let him look at my elbow. "Do you think Tamaki-sempai was right?"

"He was worried."

"But that doesn't make him right."

"Not necessarily." He paused, and stood up. "But do you think you were right?"

"I was doing what's right."

"Let's return to the villa." And he left me, more certain than ever that I was right.

* * *

Dinner was awkward. I stuffed my face full of crab, and then excused myself, locking myself up in the room.

I lay on the bed, trying to pace myself with the raindrops that fell outside. One, two, one, two… a sudden boom of thunder. Haruhi was probably getting her fix now, and Tamaki was comforting her. One, two, one, two… And soon, if I just fell asleep now, I would be able to end the episode. One, two, one, two… If I was part of the competition, then why did they not bother to find out more about my fears? Well, it _was_ Haruhi's show anyway. One, two, one, two… someone started to knock on my door.

"What is it?" I yelled over the thunder.

"Are you alright, Fuwa-san?" Of course, Kyoya would know about Mao's fears.

"Yes! Leave me alone!"

I tried to regain my momentum, counting the tiny beats of the raindrop. One, two, one, two… I glanced out of the window at the dark sky. The moon was gone, and the trees were shaking badly. One, two, one, two… I wanted to walk. I needed to move around.

And so, I got out of bed, made sure that the corridor was empty before I started exploring the villa. It was huge, and with every flash of lightning, I jumped. The hallway was pretty and well decorated with paintings and frames and statues. I came to a section where there was a huge window, and walked towards it, staring at the raindrops. I don't know how long I stared at it, leaning against the cool glass and tracing the trail of the raindrops.

"You're not afraid of the thunderstorms, Fuwa-san?"

I looked up at Kyoya, thinking up a way to crap out some bullshit. "No, I'm not."

"I was certain you were."

"How certain?" I teased, trying to get him to admit that he had files on all of us.

He smiled, and walked past me. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ootori-san."

I watched him walk to a room, and sighed, "Do you think I was right?"

He paused, tilted his head back, and said, "I thought it was unnecessary."

I stared, wide-eyed and hurt.

"But you weren't wrong either."

* * *

AN: if anyone can guess what Rachel's fear is...

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	14. Chapter 12

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 13

AN: EHEEHEHEEHE seems like we've got a bunch of guesses as to what Rachel's afraid of, huh. This chapter might seem a little 'deus ex machina', but here we go, anyway!

** thecrazymonkey: **Clowns... hmm, seems like a reasonable guess... But, 'scared, not fearful.' ;D Hmmmmm. I thought Mori was kind of like a big-brother type, and he's wise and silent, but he follows along with whatever crazy stuff they do (remember the time they followed Haruhi to the supermarket? He looked really into it, and I thought that, hey, Mori's got a sense of humour too :D). And that's why I thought that while he keeps silence until he needs to say something, he's got this other side of him to cheer people up :D Especially little fourteen year old sisters like Rachel.

** Guest (1): **Hmmm, good guess too :D Sonic the hedgehog... Hm. Actually, your guess is quite close to the general idea.

** supermanisawesome:** I liketh your name :D eheheh, she's not _fearful _of water. In fact, she does like the ocean a lot. But there's always a fine line, no? Haha, I guess. You're quite close with your point on 'being stuck out there with no one to save her'.

** Guest (2): **"maybe being wrong"... the idea behind that one is linked to her actual fear. But yes, that was a deep guess...

Heh :D now that I'm done with answering the comments, I shall answer what her fear is...

at the bottom of the page :D

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

We left the villa the next day, and I was glad that I had the whole Sunday to myself. When I got back to the apartment, however- with Kyoya by my side- there was already someone tidying up the place. She saw me, and Kyoya, and bowed. I bowed back, unsure.

"We agreed on a weekly cleaning service, didn't we?" Kyoya explained. "I thought it would be best if she did not disturb your daily… shenanigans."

"R-right. Thank you."

The cleaning lady smiled at me, and just as she was about to leave, passed me a stack of cards. "I saw these numbered cards all around, and rearranged them."

I took the stack from her, and bowed again. She left, and I slammed the door in Kyoya's face again. It was an accident, but I was pretty sure that he had gotten used to my barbaric behaviour, so I didn't bother apologizing. Instead, I looked through the stack of cards. I hadn't noticed them lying around the house. Then again, this could just be because of- well, my existence. I wasn't exactly a very organised person, and so while it was reasonably neat for the most, I preferred shoving dust under the carpet than cleaning it up like a normal person.

I flipped through the stack of cards. It wasn't anything, really. Just numbers. And the way the cleaning lady arranged it made it look almost ominous. In descending order, a countdown. I laughed it off. How did those cards come about? Maybe Kyoya bribed the cleaning lady to give them to me, just for revenge. A little bit of revenge for just existing, wrecking the universe…

I placed the cards down, and turned on the television, ready to slack off. But the first person I saw was the white-haired stranger. I shrieked, and then clambered my way to the screen. How did she- why was she there? Was she a celebrity? Maybe this whole mix up was some sort of a prank, and I got mixed up with it. And they got a voice actor to lead me on!

"I know what you're thinking, sit down." She sighed. "Geez, kids these days…"

Then again, she didn't really look like that stranger… "Yeah, I'm just dreaming."

"I'm actually honoured that you're dreaming of me."

I turned back to the television. "No way."

"Yes way."

I retreated, tripped over the coffee table, and fell over. She laughed at my clumsiness and shock, and I was suddenly so afraid. Screw thunderstorms- _she_ _was my fear_. And, without thinking, I grabbed the remote and turned the television off. How did she manage to answer me? Was it just a coincidence? Yeah- it had to be. She couldn't have taken over the entire television, could she? I mean, it's just silly to even assume, considering that I am stuck in a cartoon- _wait._ Why did I turn the television off?

She was the one person who could tell me what was going on! I dialled Mao's number, and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't pick up. One less problem to deal with. I was going to record this conversation for her, no matter. I felt around for the remote, took a deep breath and turned the television on.

"So, kid, what's up-"

"Cut the crap," I ordered. "Look, what's going on? What am I doing here? What's with Mao Fuwa and me? And what the hell, is the universe dying?"

"Considering that I know things that you don't-"

I screamed. "JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON! I WANT TO GO HOME."

She stayed silent, and watched stonily as I cried. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Look, the only way I've been able to get into this box, is because I've been playing around with the magnetic field, and I can only say that I won't last long. Geez, didn't you take heed of the warnings I sent?"

"Warnings…?"

"I slipped those numbered cards everywhere, and made sure that Mao took note the number of days she had left on a daily basis! I even warped your dreams! Don't tell me you guys forgot all about it? Oh geez, kids these days." She exaggerated a sigh.

"No- no- you're saying that there's a time limit. What time limit? Why didn't I know about it- and what's going on?"

"You were going to be in Japan for three weeks. And so, I just thought that you wanted your wish fulfilled. Which is what I did, for you, and you're welcome. So I decided that a little swap wouldn't matter, especially since there was conveniently a little lady who looked just like you, and didn't mind going off into an entirely different world to hide from hers. So," she hesitated for a moment, looking guilty. "Well. Apparently there's been a bit of a problem-"

"Tell me about it," I said sarcastically, wiping my tears away.

"I am!" she rolled her eyes. "But apparently you've only got three weeks, because I forgot to read the fine print, and so… well… Something's wrong-"

"The crack in the universes and the warping caused by the magnetic field?"

"How clever! Kids these days… I knew you'd be able to figure it out- crap, I'm running out of time! Damn the nitrogen-" she let loose and started cursing unintelligibly. "Screw this, where's the extra helium and god, the _Big Bang_-"

"No- tell me what I can do for us to switch back!" I fiddled with the buttons of the remote, hoping that it could prolong her 'life'.

"You can't. At least, I haven't figured how to cure the whole thing yet, so please just wait-"

"You said we had a time limit! I can't wait-!"

"Until your worlds end, YES! Now, you have to remember what happened at the start, where we all started."

"Where we all started?" I repeated, clutching at the remote.

"Yes, child, lovely child-" and the screen blurred into a mess of grey pixels.

No. No. _No. NO._

That can't be happening. This can't be happening. As if switching places in the universe wasn't enough, now I had a time limit running off my head. And the rest of our universes was _dying._ Decaying. Disappearing. Fading. Flickering. Trying to breathe so hard with these iron ribs. And if Mao's theory was right, which I hoped it was (I didn't like not knowing what to expect), we were all going to start warping along with the magnetic fields between our worlds. And we were going to be pretty damned lucky if a black hole didn't come hit us.

Ten days left.

What could I do with ten days? Save the world? Yeah, right. I didn't have anyone I could turn to, and even if I could, they wouldn't be able to stop this mass destruction from happening. In fact, they were all ignorant and blissful, and not knowing that our worlds were on a suicide mission was probably the best for all of them. Besides, who would believe me? I wish I was just Rachel. Normal, stupid, dumb, peasant sluggy Rachel with her plans for apple juice domination.

Maybe it would be best if a black hole came and swallowed us all. Instantaneous death sounded like a good idea. Like painkillers to this sinking feeling in my gut, and the hollowness of my throat and fingers.

I needed to move. Do something. Act like the end of the world wasn't coming and that I wasn't the only girl on this universe that knew about it, but didn't know how to stop it. I was going to go out. Appreciate the human crowd. Forget. And this time, I wasn't bringing my phone. I made my way out, but upon opening the door, found that my plans were quite impossible.

Because Kyoya was still there, and god knows how much he heard.

* * *

"What's going on, Fuwa-san?"

"Nothing."

"I heard-"

"I told you it was nothing, Ootori-san."

"You were screaming, Fuwa-san."

"Teenage girls do that all the time. Don't you?" And then, softer, "Would you get out of the door way? I need to go."

"… Where?"

"I don't need you monitoring me, Ootori-san."

"I was extending an offer to take you-"

"I need to walk; Move; Go somewhere." I waved him away.

"I insist on accompanying." Tracking, more like.

"There are no merits to this," I said. "Whatever."

There are times when I'd like to document every single boring detail of my life, and there are times when I just don't want to _think_. Even registering my surroundings makes it so hard to breathe. So when I stormed off, I made sure that I was fast and that every bit of me felt alive and busy. Having everything blur past me into an insignificant whirl of colours was relaxing and therapeutic, and so, fuelled by this sudden rage, I walked on.

After a while, I got tired, and stopped. Kyoya paused, a little after me.

How did he manage to keep up? Why did he bother to keep up?

"I know everything about you," I said, and wasn't sure why I said that.

So now, we're in a stalemate on the streets. Me, panting and sweating like a pig, and he's just staring silently. I want to scream. I would, only that when you scream, everyone hears, but no one listens. And the last thing I want to do is to gather up another fuss all over a screaming fourteen year old girl. I think of the answers that could flash across his mind; 'no, you couldn't.', 'I know more about you.'.

And it saddened me to _know_ that he didn't believe me. Not when _I_ didn't believe myself. For once, I was hoping that Kyoya would know, just like what he always did. Find me. Some trace of Rachel Cho in this universe. And if _he_ didn't know, then I was in some deep shit. But then again, I was placing too much faith in a fictional character. Someone who didn't exist.

Get your shit together, Rachel. He's not real.

If he's not real, then what am I, now?

"I want yoghurt," I blurted out.

He smiled, and pushed his glasses up. "I believe there's a store nearby that sells it."

And before I knew it, I was eating yoghurt like a boss with Kyoya Ootori. It didn't help that the counter kept flirting with him, and ignoring me. Neither did it help when Kyoya offered to pay for me. I didn't like owing him a favour, especially when he waved it aside. Sure, I wasn't that honourable to make it into his black notebook, but…

I scooped up my original yoghurt (with fruity pebbles to complete) and ate it. "Why did you insist on tracking me. You could have placed a GPS tracker on me."

"You are under my care, and you could have easily disposed of the tracker had you known."

"Why?"

"Why what?" he didn't bother to look at me when he said that.

"Why am I under your care, and why would I dispose of the tracker?"

"Supposing that you do know everything about me, the first would be a redundant question; you are a valued… patron to our company, and thus my father has requested me to personally handle your affairs. He was apparently intrigued by the notion of a 'people-centred' leader. As for the second question, you looked murderous then. It was uncertain what you might do."

I stared down at the melting yoghurt in my cup. "Do you… think… I mean, what day is it today?"

"It's Sunday, isn't it?"

I'm absolutely brilliant. I pull people into weird places and situations with me, and then I trap them with awkward conversations.

"What if I told you we were in a TV show?"

"You'd be breaking the fourth wall."

You know what? I think he wins the title of being a conversation killer.

"Why am I a valued patron? Why does your family's corporation continue to sponsor me?"

"I thought you'd be quite clear on that point, Fuwa-san. But we see the potential in your future." He turns back to me and smiles.

Screw this. The world is ending in ten days.

"I need a new phone." I don't think I even care about him knowing or seeing through my deceit. Hell, let him see. Let him know.

He nodded and led me out to where a limousine was already waiting. How did he even get to call for a ride? Oh right, he's Kyoya Ootori. And like a lady, I scrambled into the limousine and knocked my head against its roof. Thankfully, he made no remark about it, acting like the perfect gentleman he was. We made our way to the mall, I picked out a phone, and he paid for it. A remarkably simple process.

"I don't want to go to the Host Club tomorrow," I said softly, just as we were walking out of the phone shop.

"I shall arrange another form of transportation for you, then?"

I shook my head. "I want to walk."

"That can be arranged."

"I give you full permission to hide a GPS tracker in the map." I paused. People-centred, eh. "And I give you full permission to call me 'Mao'."

"Just Mao?"

"But I want to call you Kyoya."

"There was nothing stopping you."

I shook my head again. "I just wanted to be sure I could."

He smiled, and pushed his glasses up. And that was pretty much the end of our conversation. His phone beeped, and I wondered whether it would be rude of me to send him text messages, since my chat speak was (according to Mao), 'horrendous'. He glanced at it, and his lips curled up just in the slightest, even as he sighed in exasperation.

"The Host Club is right outside your apartment, demanding to go in," he said.

"They've got Haruhi's apartment to explore, don't they?" I exclaimed. "Tell them to come to the mall. There is no way in hell I'll let them go in. They'll just end up embarrassing themselves like the other time."

"The other time?"

"In my dreams. Not that I dream about them. Just random stuff. Like apple juice and yoghurt and stuff like that. Don't you ever dream?" I ended up rambling again. "Yeah, you'd probably have _aspirations,_ so maybe dreams aren't really your thing."

"Dreams are the effects of subconscious activity. So no, considering that my brain is functioning normally, I would say that dreams are my thing." God, he's acting OOC again.

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah."

* * *

"Mao-chaaaaan!" Honey squealed, and jumped onto my back. I stumbled, and tried not to fall over.

"Honey-sempai!" I grinned. Finally having a distraction was pretty nice. "I missed you a bit."

"We didn't really hang out a lot during the beach trip, did we! Next time we should hang out together! Eh, do you know what we should do?"

I paused. Right, Moe Moe Cake café… It wasn't so good the last time I went there, was it? If the world was warping and changing, it probably wasn't the best idea to enter that dimensional, soul-sucking place. Honey jumped off my back, and I stretched, working out the kinks.

"Ah! Honey-sempai, I got a new phone!"

"Eh? But wasn't your previous phone working well?"

"It broke, so Kyoya took me to get a new one!" I smiled, and waved the phone in his face.

"Ah? Just 'Kyoya'? You guys are getting quite intimate, aren't you?" the twins asked. "Is Mommy cheating on Daddy?"

I shrugged. "You're just jealous!"

"Ah, you're so cute when you want to be, Mao, my lovely daughter! Here, have my number! You can call on me any time you want!" Tamaki exclaimed in an exaggerated manner and pulled my phone out of my grip, adding his own contact.

I looked around, and found that Haruhi was being tackled by the twins. She shrugged, and I smiled at her. Taking my phone out of Tamaki's hand, I handed the phone to Haruhi. She stared at it curiously, and then back at me. I pushed past the twin's arms and into her hands. Ignore the badly-shaven peacock, ignore it…

"If you don't mind, Haruhi, could you add your contact?" I smiled.

"Why, yes, she minds," Hikaru said, taking the phone out of Haruhi's hand.

"Are you Haruhi Fujioka?" I snapped, miffed. "Or Fujioka Haruhi."

"We're her friends!" Hikaru shot back.

I rolled my eyes. "Why did _you_ even come? You guys wanted to see my living quarters, but it's obvious that you have no intention of being affiliated with me. I'm pretty sure that Haruhi doesn't mind my acquaintanceship, and you've got no right to speak up for her. Are you her legal guardian? Or are you the law? Stop dragging her off into your own world and trapping her in this little Host Club fantasy family. You're being selfish just because there's someone in this world who _cares_ to tell you two apart!"

There was a short little silence after I made that bratty, spiteful speech. I looked down, trying not to feel guilty. Why should I be guilty? Heck, I'm so done with everything right now I just want to sleep and not think about anything. Screw everyone.

"Say, Mao-chan, we should go to Moe Moe Cake café-" Honey started to say.

"No. For the love of god and cakes, please don't go there." I looked down at him. "Promise me."

"A-alright…?"

"I'm going back." And with that, I snatched my new phone away from Hikaru, that stupid brat, and walked away.

I wasn't sure if I should cry, after looking at his stunned- hurt- bitter expression.

* * *

AN: aaaaand, Rachel's fear is... _drumrolls._ Actually, I had no idea. _/everyone falls flat on face, sweat dropping/_ But after rereading the past few chapters, I've come up with something quite close to her fears:

1. the fear of being lost

2. the fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting.

It's not very apparent in the past few chapters, but you can see that her actions and thoughts are influenced by it. Although this might be due to her current age- since she's in adolescence. I read a book on psychology and it says that when teenagers are in the adolescence stage, they tend to get more despondent and they get more self-conscious, leading to their advanced reasoning. Which causes them to feel more inferior and afraid, questioning their own thoughts and so on. But for her to overcome that, she has to acknowledge some problems that she's been having, and it will hurt a lot.

And thus, to find herself, she has to lose herself first- which was what this fic started. So yes, she's afraid of clowns and maybe of the water, and even the damned white-haired stranger, but she fears everything that she is, and everything that she has.

It doesn't sound very comprehensive, but I hope you guys can get the general idea.

So there you have it :D

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	15. Chapter 13 and Interlude II

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 14 and interlude II

AN: I'm still working on the CONFRONTATIONAL chapter :D ((psst, like, when they realise she's not Mao)) It's quite hard because I'm trying to make it as reasonable as possible. And the way I write is kinda like a stream-of-consciousness, so I write arguments that twist the path to the conclusion, and I have to try my best to counter them. ... Yeah... so right now, I'm writing the next chapter, and I'm editing the confrontation over and over.

As for this chapter, chapter 14 was quite short, so I attached the second interlude (Mao's POV) along.

** skye. ochoa: **... Ah. I looked back at the little speech, and I just- _Rachel Cho has been learning from Mao._ All those big words are actually kinda hindering, aren't they...? :D ((interpret it in any way you'd like)) but I realised that when Mao gets angry, she just breaks out of her Sciency-big-words phrasing and just goes direct to the point... Eh?

** Neliel Von Schweetz: **Thank you! I thought you guys would find it boring, since it's kinda like a side-effect to adolescence, so it's quite... common? ((I'll explain this in the final chapter, I think))

** supermanisawesome: **I'm a hopeless romantic, too ((judging by the way I melted into a puddle upon knowing what Mori's character song meant)). Eh, when I wrote this fic, I thought to myself that "I don't want to write a romantic fic!" and I tried to steer myself out of that route several times. Yeah, it does seem like Hikaru and Rachel can have a cool love/hate _long_-distance relationship eheheh. But I'm not intending for that to happen. I hope that doesn't stop you from reading this fic, though! ''' haha! And besides, she's fourteen! I don't think she's managed to trust the Hosts so much to be able to develop a relationship with them. Even her current friendship is rocky right now. (btw it's okay if you ramble. I do, too.)

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

I was adamant, refusing to speak or even look in the friendly-class-trio's direction. Makoto was worried. I kept my phone on silent, trying not to look at it. If only I'd kept my big fat mouth shut on Sunday, then perhaps I would still be able to fake normality and pretend that I was, like the others, a big fan of the twins and Haruhi. I played with my new phone, and realised that there was a new message from Tamaki. I quickly shut it down, and put it away.

"Hey, what's up?" Makoto approached my table immediately during break.

"Nothing much. The sky, the ceiling-"

"You've been looking really… edgy lately. Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, Mako. I am being crushed by a gazillion elephant whales, and it does not feel good. Now, if you'd excuse me, I need to get more apple juice." I pushed past her.

"I swear, you should lay off the apple juice." She followed me. "Geez, what's wrong?"

"Everything."

"If by 'everything' you mean the twins and the Host Club, then maybe you should expand your knowledge of the world. There are hotter guys out there, and better tea."

"It's not boy trouble!" I said, affronted. "I'm just feeling really screwed up right now."

"Homework?"

"Not even." I made my way down the stairs. "Complicated and _platonic_ social issues, more like."

"Be glad you don't have an arranged marriage, child," she said bitterly.

"What's wrong?" I perked up.

"Nothing much. I'm supposed to be marrying a weird guy. If I'm not wrong, he's from the theatre club. Doesn't really mix with me. I was hoping for Morinozuka, though…"

"That's… that's not very nice…" I faltered. "I mean, if I were forced into a marriage, I would run."

"But I don't have a choice, you see," Makoto said, and sighed, pushing me down the hallway. "Still, I think he's a decent guy. Quite a looker, I guess."

I nodded. "But…?"

"What 'but'?"

"There's always a 'but'," I reasoned. The end of the world can wait, honestly.

And then Makoto launched into a full-blown rant about his lack of fashion sense and his penchant for collecting checkered fedoras. I nodded along, and tried my best to listen.

"So… that's my part of the story," she concluded. "You?"

"Nah, nothing much. Just the occasional teenage hormonal angst."

"Hey, you do know that you can tell me anything, right? You can trust me," she nudged, and smiled kindly at me.

I faltered, hesitated, but decided not to take her up on that offer. "Yeah. I hope they serve chicken today."

"Whaddya mean, there's chicken _every day_!"

School ended- leaving me a little disoriented. I thought that it would be simple, what I would do if I came to this world; join the Host Club under a lame excuse and drink apple juice all day long. But now, without the Host Club as an anchor, I was free to roam this universe. Which caused it to lost its appeal. I wondered about the boundaries of this fictional world within this universe. Maybe it was infinite, since the Host Club members could go overseas and visit everywhere. But if decay was already happening within the vicinity of the school, then…

I looked at my phone, and realise that Mao's calling back. I should probably answer before anything worse happened. Sitting by the fountain, I picked up the call. She doesn't scream at me, which is a major plus. Instead, she kept silence, as though she's not expecting me to pick up at all.

"Hello?" I said meekly.

"Rachel Cho," she said sternly, like my mother does when she gets angry at me. Thank god I don't have a middle name.

"Yes?"

She took a deep breath. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know."

There was shuffling on her side. "Good job on recording the conversation. That was a whole lot more informative. Did you know that the human brain cannot accurately remember exact phrases used in a conversation, and that we communicate through general ideas mainly?"

"Until now, no." I paused, and said, "Okay, so now we have ten days."

"We have ten days," she agreed grimly. "That is too much time."

I nod. "Yeah."

"Would you believe if I wished that a black hole would swallow us up right now?"

"Yes."

"… Look, Rachel. If we can't do anything about it-"

"Remember what she said?" I interrupted. "Where we all started. Where did we start? Did she mean the switch?"

"I-I don't know-"

"I can only think that we were switched somewhere, billions of metres up in the air." I slumped. "That isn't much to go on, actually. How about trying to fly a jet plane?"

"A jet plane?"

"Well, that's probably impossible in your universe, where you are."

"Of course it is."

"Unless you'd rather wait till we return? You can't buy a ticket back, can you? And if we had to wait till the end of my-your trip, then it'll be too late."

"Hey, wait a moment… What's this…"

"What?" I said irritably, suddenly feeling like there was an itch all around my body, but I just could get to it.

"Oh." I froze. That was one very ominous word.

"Wait, Mao-"

And there was a huge crash before she hung up on me. I stared at my phone, wondering what it could have been that led to her shock. I hastily dialled her number. This sudden hanging up didn't seem like a good thing.

'_The number you have dialled does not exist.'_

Wait, what? There was a huge crash- oh god, not an earthquake? Maybe she dropped her phone, and maybe it broke, which means that we've lost our anchorage- I turned to look at the school, only to find that it was fading. Flickering. Struggling.

Ouran Academy; the heart of this universe, was decaying. Twisting. Warping. Morphing and stretching. A flicker of colour rushed through it before it was drained along. The school was fading. I looked down. So was the floor; the colours vanishing to give it a weird sheen. I panicked, running backwards, away from the dimensional mess, trying to get out before I got trapped in this weird decay. I had ten days. Ten days suddenly seemed like a very short time, escalated by Mao's phone breaking.

I glanced back at the school, and suddenly worried for the Host Club. They weren't my friends, they weren't real, but they were in danger.

And the danger was real. They were in danger, and I couldn't just _run_, could I? Even if they weren't real, even if they were just fictional characters, puppets running their own shows, maybe they'd become real to me. Maybe they weren't just parodies of a genre. And what would I do for my friends?

God, I don't know. I'm so scared. I'm only fourteen. Only fourteen. Rachel Cho, ordinary girl of a doomed age. Someone who just got lost on her way home. What would Mao do? What would Kyoya do? What would Mori do? What would Tamaki- scampering fool like he was- do? What would Haruhi do? What would I do? What _do_ I do?

They'd try to rescue their friends, because the Host Club was their family. Somehow that revelation sparked off another one in my head, but the new idea was dulled down by my panic. But I couldn't do anything, could I? I wiped away the tears, and made for the school hesitantly.

"Daughters of authors _are_ eccentric anyway," I mumbled to myself, and perked up just a little.

My phone rang just before I reached the foyer.

"Rachel Cho," Mao didn't sound happy.

And I cracked.

"W-wait, are you crying on me now? Dammit!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- I'm sorry- the school just _faded_. When we lost the connection, the school just _faded_ and I'm scared- I'm scared."

She stayed silent, but when she started to speak, her words were cutting. "It doesn't matter anyway, does it? It's not _real._"

"What do you mean it's not real?"

"I saw it. Ouran High School Host Club, a simple fictional world, wasn't it?" she sneered. "Did you _wish_ to enter this world? Were you so desperate-"

"Didn't _you_ wish to enter another world, to become anonymous? I just want to go home now. I never asked for any of this. She made me choose."

"And now you made your choice. Look what it did!"

"I'm not the only one responsible!" I screamed. "The world is falling apart. The very heart of this _fictional _world is cracking apart, and guess what? I can't deal with this!"

I hung up on her this time, and carefully replaced the phone into my pocket, before racing up the stairs to the third music room. Screw fictional worlds, my friends are very real, thank you very much. They're the only thing I've got left. So what if I'm selfish? I can't deal with it. The school just faded, almost disappeared, and that would have been the end of us. Of everything.

I owe them too much to let them go.

When I got there, panting, sweating, hair in a mess and eyes all teary, I suddenly realised that they were important to me, somehow. And that I was a clear mess while they were seated in their pristine, tip-top condition.

"What happened, Fuwa-san?"

I laughed at Kyoya's question. "Mao."

"What happened, Mao?" he repeated.

"Everything. But you guys _are_ okay?" I asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah…?"

"Good. I'm going home now," I said, and slammed the doors shut.

To say that it was embarrassing- flustering- worrying is an understatement. And as I walked home, a slight spring in my steps, it started drizzling. I laughed, and wondered if Mao would break her phone in anger at my stupid teenager hormonal drives. I didn't want to deal with her, or anything leftover from my world. Enjoy the present- catch a bus, sing a song, drink apple juice and eat cake, and laugh a lot. They owed me that, too much.

And I walked home, stumbling in the rain.

* * *

I Prefer Spearmint: Interlude II

I _dropped_ the phone.

_I_ dropped it.

It didn't slip out of my hands, no. I _let it drop out of my hands _and onto the ground. The consequences of that impact was clear as day to me, but I let it drop. Why? I have no idea. But if it was one thing that Fuwa Mao had, it was ideas. Ideas were all I had, and they got us this far. Then the ideas became facts, and suddenly it didn't seem so happy and pretty anymore. Just bitter, grim little cells of facts.

Ouran High School Host Club. There was a volume of manga on the dining table, and it was depicting the school I was meant to go to before this sudden kidnap. I turned to the back, and read the synopsis. This was a typical shojou drama, wasn't it? Just another one of those works. I didn't believe in them. My mother wrote crime fiction, with red herrings and mysterious foreign detectives holding smudged train tickets. My father wrote about the world, tracing one end of the pacific to the other, and working his way through the littlest people who didn't mind the work. And I found myself in dictionaries and Science books, looking through big words and smaller ones.

And this volume of manga contradicted everything that I had known. I existed in a fictional world made up of roses and withering romantic phrases. A world that revolved around seven guys in a club, and stupid rich people. And it didn't matter what I did, because the universe I belonged to, belonged to them. Simpering idiots.

"Oh."

If I didn't know- if I hadn't known that my universe was banking on a couple of good-looking guys, then perhaps I wouldn't be feeling this rage. How does it feel like, realising that your whole life has come to this?

"Wait, Mao-"

She lied to me. Rachel Cho, a little girl from this universe who knew all about this, she lied to me. She kept it from me, which is good as lying, and I was so upset. Because she kept it from me? Maybe. Because the fact that this was the truth? Yes. I looked at the smiling faces on the front cover of the manga, and felt an urge to burn it. Burn them all. Instead of a random black hole engulfing us all, I now held the power in my hands. _I _could destroy the world, their world, our worlds. Everything. The universe belonged to me.

And I dropped the phone.

I watched it fall, crash against the carpet, before lying stiffly on the ground, the battery detached from its limp body. The consequences were instantaneous, because colour started draining from every inch of the walls. It was like a centrifugal station, and the whole room was on a two-dimensional loop, stretching, moving, trying to decide which state it should take on.

God, what did I just do?

I touched the manga again, watching it twist and turn. I drew my hand back almost immediately; It was burning. I held my burnt hand to my chest, and felt my feet numb. I looked down, and realised that the loop was trying to get me in. Crap. My feet couldn't move. They were churning and whirling, blurring in with the grey mess- I reached for the phone, and placed the battery in again. The room slowly regained its normal colour, and the swelling in my fingers stopped. To be sure, though, I dialed Rachel's number. I almost killed our worlds because of my selfishness. I accelerated our deaths. What does that make me? I had logic and wits on my side, and this wasn't supposed to happen. These ideas were killing us.

"Rachel Cho," I said softly once she picked up.

There was silence on her side, before she started sobbing.

"W-wait, are you crying on me now? Dammit!" What was she doing? I almost lost my feet! And it was her fault- a stupid little girl's wish to enter this stupid fictional world- that led us to this! How dare she act weak when I needed something to scream at?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- I'm sorry- the school just _faded_. When we lost the connection, the school just _faded_ and I'm scared- I'm scared."

The consequences reached her side, too. So what if she was scared? Scared, not fearful. This was still a game to her, wasn't it? Just another _fictional_ world for her to wreck.

"It doesn't matter anyway, does it? It's not _real._"

"What do you mean it's not real?" she sounded confused.

"I saw it. Ouran High School Host Club, a simple fictional world, wasn't it?" I laughed. "Did you _wish_ to enter this world? Were you so desperate-"

"Didn't _you_ wish to enter another world, to become anonymous? I just want to go home now. I never asked for any of this. She made me choose." I shook my head, and pulled the phone away.

"And now you made your choice. Look what it did!"

"I'm not the only one responsible!" she screamed. "The world is falling apart. The very heart of this _fictional _world is cracking apart, and guess what? I can't deal with this!"

She hung up on me.

And that sort of closure seemed like a cure, because the sudden anger just- fell apart. Dissolved. Broke. And I stood beside the dinner table, just staring at the manga. What did it matter? If I stayed on in my own fictional world, and achieved success, it just would have been my life. For all I knew, this could be another fictional world to another universe, and it wouldn't matter. I smiled.

Damn these teenage hormonal drives.

* * *

AN: GASP MAO DROPPED THE PHONE. Basically that idea developed from when the connection between their worlds was supposed to break, but then I thought "Hey, how can Mao let a phone slip out of her hands?". And so, after watching Frozen where Elsa was quite purposefully trying to kill the two guys who tried to kill her, I thought again, "Hey. Why wouldn't Mao purposefully drop the phone?".

I feel kinda bad for not exploring more into Mao's personality, because I think she's actually quite strong- her parents died, and she's all alone in another universe. But she's working her way out, looking through Sciency stuff. And she's never _talked about her parents' death_ to anyone. And she was quite rich and smart, considering she could get into Ouran, which shows that, to a certain degree, she must have somehow cultivated that kind of arrogance and pride.

Because Mao Fuwa knows what she has, and knows what she has to do, and she'll kick your ass. But for that one moment, everything she has is questioned (well, excluding the universe swap because she's figured it out) and what does she do? She scrambles for anything that can prove that she's got the final say. Eccentricities of an author's daughter, huh.

Hurhurhur I'm doing so much character study right now I just.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	16. Chapter 14

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 15

AN: hurhurhur the confrontation is up :D ... I don't think I did it too well. Is it weird that I considered rewriting everything through using a third person POV? I'm not sure how that would work, exactly... Oh! I just realised that when you follow a story, it doesn't show up on your page. But when you favourite it, it shows up! So _that's_ why I've got more follows than favourites ;D this story's your guilty pleasure, eh?

** Neliel Von Schweetz: **Thank you! Suspense and adrenaline...? Oh, you mean those kind of action stories, right? I'm still not very good with the adrenaline-triggering type, I'm more of a 1. ramble and 2. morbidly affectionate/slow obsession types, ha. I'll try to do so. But the next few chapters will probably be more of a build-up for their friendship. Eek! Bear the fluff :D I'll probably accelerate the timeline.

** Fandom-Princess-C: **Ooh! A new reader! Hello, and welcome to the story yay :D Except that I don't really understand what you meant by 'tardiness of apple juice'...?

* * *

I didn't think it was possible to fall sick.

No, just to clarify, I don't have some super other-worldly immortal immune system, but I was just caught in a tiny drizzle. And I bathed right after I got home. So there shouldn't be an explanation for why I'm suddenly running a slight fever. I groaned and tried to get out of bed, but because of the duvet that was tangled up in my legs, I rolled off the bed. Yeah, it was a rough night.

I got up after a few tries to untangle my legs from the duvet, and wobbled to the kitchen with the comfy duvet trailing behind me like a cape. God, I need water. And I need to tell Kyoya that my virtue will not be available today. The limo was probably waiting outside… wait, what time is it? I ended up pouring the water onto the floor instead of the cup. Dammit. While looking for something to mop up the floor, I heard a weird thumping from the living room.

Do all burglars have impeccable timing or am I just unlucky to be sick and wrapped up in a duvet like a burrito while someone rummaged through the house? I took a frying pan, reminded myself that it was probably the best weapon I had, after watching Tangled. There was a shadow coming nearer towards the kitchen, and I raised the frying pan, ready to strike, when-

A kind old lady appeared. "Oh, hello, dear. You shouldn't be awake!"

Wait, what?

"Who are you?" I demanded hoarsely.

"I'm your nurse, poor child. Ootori-san called me over to take care of you. Tsk, tsk, please don't tire yourself out. And do put that frying pan down, please. It's quite unsightly."

"Kyoya?" I placed the pan down by the sink.

"Yes, the youngest Ootori. He's quite good-looking, no? The limousine was waiting, and when he couldn't contact you, he came up and found you with a fever! And here I am, taking care of you."

"No awkward hospital trips, then?" I asked, just to be sure.

"No awkward hospital trips," she assured, and guided me back to the bedroom.

"Oh, I forgot. I'm Fuwa Mao, and how should I address you?"

"Just call me Tsuda, dear. Now go to sleep!" She ordered, and nudged me back into my room.

"Butbutbut I've slept for a loooong time!" I whined, and nudged back. "Can't I just- er… eat?"

She gave me a stern look, and then softened. "Well, I suppose you do have to eat before you take your medication…"

"Medication?" I jumped. "I thought there weren't any awkward hospital trips?"

She laughed, and ruffled my hair. "No, there weren't! The brothers in the family are all trained to be doctors, silly. C'mon, you've got to take a bath, and I'll make something for you."

She trotted back to the kitchen, and left me standing in the puddle of blankets. I coughed awkwardly and felt around my shirt. Yeah, I was sweating quite a lot. Shrugging, I went to the toilet, until I realised a possible reason for the sudden sickness. It was that time of the month. I yawned, and collapsed onto the tub. This shower was going to take quite a lot of time and effort. And willpower, too. At least the headache wasn't back.

I jinx everything just by saying it.

When I got out of the tub an hour later, my new phone was ringing quite a lot. I looked at it. Fifteen missed calls from Tamaki, ten from Honey, and two from an unknown number. It was probably Kyoya who told them. I sighed, and returned Honey's call. It was probably their club time, now. Who knew I could sleep for eighteen hours straight? Yeah, _I_ knew. Hibernating is not uncommon in the royal blood of the peasant slugs.

"Honey-sempai?"

"Mao-chan! You returned my call, finally!" Honey squealed, and I had to hold the phone away. "We were all so worried!"

In the background, I could pick up a few voices.

"Why didn't she call _me_ instead?" Tamaki's whining.

"Sempai, stop growing mushrooms in the corner, please!" Haruhi.

"She waited _this_ long to call?" I couldn't tell if it was Hikaru or Kaoru, since it was quite muffled through the phone, but I'll bet it's Hikaru, because he's downright evil.

I felt an itch in my throat, and coughed again. "Y-yeah. I'm here. I'm sorry to worry all of you. I just woke up."

"Wait, Mao-chan, let me put this on loudspeaker…" I waited while he did that. "Ah! I'm done. How are you feeling?"

"Slightly… better, I guess?" I coughed again. "Nothing much, just like a slug."

"Mao, how's your fever?" Haruhi's concerned voice piped up.

"Ah, I guess it's better now? It doesn't feel that bad now," I lied, and massaged my temples. "I don't think it's too high."

"How did you even get sick?" the twins asked.

Granted, yes, there was only a slight drizzle, but people can catch colds! I rolled my eyes. "I'm actually losing a lot of blood as I speak."

"WHAT? IS MY DARLING DAUGHTER ALRIGHT? KYOYA, ARRANGE FOR US TO-" Tamaki screamed, and I almost dropped the phone.

"No! No! Tamaki-sempai, I'm alright! It's just that time of the month!" I exclaimed, and then realised that the phone was on loud speaker.

There was an awkward, pregnant silence after I yelled that out loud. I fell onto the bed, face first, trying to dig a hole through the fluffiness into hell. Oh god. I'm such a dumbass.

"What time of the month?" Honey's cute voice questioned, and I _died_.

"… Human biology. Specifically the female's," I explained briefly. "Wait, is everyone there?"

"If by everyone you mean the Host Club, then yes," Kyoya said.

"…Well. That's… good to hear."

"Some of our patrons might have overheard you, though," Kyoya added.

I shut my eyes and managed to say, "Okay. Good. I'm not dead, That's the end of the report. Goodbye. I'll call back later when I'm not trying to rid myself of the embarrassment."

Tsuda was standing in the doorway, smiling gently as she watched me; my butt in the air and my face flat, squished against the pillows. I laughed awkwardly, and sat up quickly. She trotted in, and pulled me up, before rearranging my hair and pulling it into a neater ponytail.

"Were they your friends? How sweet of them to call you," she remarked, and dragged me to the kitchen.

"Nah, they're just irritating," I waved it away, and smiled. "What's for eating?"

"Just ramen, eggs and ham."

I thanked her, and she sat me down at the table before watching me eat. Tsuda was a great cook, and she gave off a very maternal feel, like a grandma. And I liked how she just made instant ramen, instead of going to great measures like making steak or anything. She was nice, and I liked her a lot, even though we hadn't really talked.

"What a fine lady you are," she commented, just as I slurped up the last of the ramen.

"What?"

"I have a few children, and I'm taking care of this child called Ryo. She's just like you. Clumsy, awkward, embarrassing, but she's full of potential, and she's learning how to be a better person," she started saying. "And she's utterly in love with this other girl, and she just doesn't know how to show it, but I can see it. She's growing up so fast, it's a little sad for me. But she's kind and mature, and tries to do her best in everything."

I deadpanned, "Yeah, but I'm slurping up noodles here."

"A fine little lady," she repeated, and took my bowl away to the sink.

I sat at the dinner table, staring at her while she told me more stories of a girl named 'Ryo'. Ryo sounded like a cool person, and I was pretty sure Tsuda was just romanticising her. Maybe Ryo was a brat. Maybe Ryo was just really dumb. But then again, maybe Ryo was the fine lady that I never was. I smiled at Tsuda, before deciding to do something really stupid.

"Hey, Tsuda-san," I said, grabbing her attention.

"Yes, dear?"

"Will you call me 'Rachel'?"

"'Rachel'…? Why?"

I shrugged. "It's what I was called when I was in Singapore, and I want… I want to be called 'Rachel'. Just not when the others are around, though. They might get confused."

She looked at me, and smiled. "Alright, Rachel-san." It didn't sound quite like my name, but I guess I was just happy that someone other than Mao was calling me by my actual name.

"Umh, actually, could you drop the suffix too?"

"Yes, yes, Rachel. Here, take your pills before your fever gets worse."

I went back to bed after the pills and a cup of green tea.

* * *

"Rachel, please tell me that I'm not seeing what I'm seeing right now," Tsuda said, glaring at my burrito body.

"W-well, I can explain?"

"It's two in the morning!" She pulled onto my ear.

"B-but I've been sleeping for so long, and I haven't gotten any lately, so I thought-"

"That's bad for your body! Rachel, you stupid child!"

* * *

_From: Honey_

_Message: Mao-chaaan! Are you feeling better? ^^_

…

_To: Honey_

_Message: yea. u woke me up tho._

…

_From: Honey_

_Message: I'm sorry! (; A ;) Tama-chan was really worried!_

…

_To: Honey_

_Message: its ok. wait, tama is with u?_

…

_From: Honey_

_Message: Yep. We're all hanging at the club room! UWU… and there's lots of cake! *o*_

…

_To: Honey_

_Message: tats nice 2 hear. _

…

_To: Honey_

_Message: oso do u really have 2 add weird emoticons to every msg_

…

_From: Honey_

_Message: Ah? *-* well, I guess it just seems cuter! ^o^/_

…

_To: Honey_

_Message: gd 4 u. _

…

_From: Honey_

_Message: Oh! 0.0 Mao-chan should be resting right now! I'm sorry for disturbing! ''' I'll go and eat more cake! Bye! :D_

I slumped back onto the bed. Somehow, because I had decided ondrinking a whole jug of apple juice last night, my chances of recovery fell to a mere 18.92%. Tsuda scolded me, and cleared the house of apple juice. Needless to say, I put up too much of a struggle and collapsed on the kitchen floor. And now, I was to be kept in bed. And I didn't want to rest! I had been in bed for god knows how long, and I was sure to go insane any further. I was pretty sure that sleeping past Tuesday and the morning of Wednesday was making me sicker.

_From: Haruhi_

_Message: I'm really sorry for whatever that might happen next, but… five. _

…

_From: unknown number_

_Message: FOUR! -kao_

…

_From: Kyoya_

_Message: Three._

…

_From: Honey_

_Message: TWOOOOOOOOO w!_

…

_From: unknown number_

_Message: one. - Mori_

…

_From: Tamaki_

_Message: ZEROOOOO! PREP 4 IMPACT! :D_

I stared at the sudden chain of messages in stunned silence. What…? Another countdown…? That's right, what day was it again… Wednesday… That means… seven days… My bedroom door was blasted open as confetti and weird things flew into the air. I stared at the Host Club, trying to squeeze in through the doorway, in weird animal costumes.

"W-what?"

"We decided to come and surprise you, Mao-chan!" Honey yelled, and jumped onto my bed. "Aren't you happy?"

"It's a pleasant surprise, alright…?" I said, unsure of how to answer.

They gave me a rose each, even Hikaru, and I thanked them. And then, Haruhi gave me a stack of homework, out of goodwill, but everyone just face-palmed. I was happy and a little relieved that everyone was here. They complained about the mess in the living room, and decided to help me out. Honey and Haruhi (along with Mori) decided to make me a bowl of porridge, and I neglected to mention that I had already eaten. Tamaki was all bent on impressing and entertaining me with his charms.

"What's this…" Kaoru said from the living room, picking up a folder. I stumbled out of the bedroom, as Tamaki followed.

"'Moe Moe Top Secret Mission'…? Wow, that sounds lame…" I froze at the mention of the file.

Dammit. "Don't touch it-"

"Ah." Kyoya took it, and started reading it along with the twins.

Oh shit.

No, this can't be happening.

God save me.

Kyoya looked back up at me, his glasses glinting. "Who are you, and what have you done to Fuwa Mao?"

I tried to laugh. "T-that's a really good joke, isn't it?"

"I knew there was something wrong! You liar!" Hikaru shouted, and I felt another wave of nausea coming on. I forced the bile back down, and tightened my grip on the frame of the doorway.

The rest of the Host Club crossed over to Kyoya's side to read the file. One by one they stared at me with accusing and perplexed looks. I panicked, and felt my head and heart start to throb. I didn't know what to do, so I did what I did best. I slammed my bedroom door in their face, and locked it. Oh crap. Crap. What do I do? I stiffened. If I hadn't slammed the door in their faces, then I might have had a better chance at lying. But I slammed the door, a clear confession. I groaned, and buried myself in my blankets. Damn, they found me out, and at such a bad time, too!

"W-wait! I'm sure that there's something wrong! It's probably a bad joke, like what Mao said!" Haruhi tried defending me. "Mao, would you open the door?"

"Go away!" I screamed childishly, and felt the hurt in my throat, like the skin had just dried up and was peeling into thin ribbons.

"It's clear to us all that she's not Fuwa Mao! An imposter!" Hikaru continued to yell, and I, very immaturely, plugged my ears with my fingers and started humming.

"No, I'm sure Mao has some things she doesn't want us knowing, maybe she had amnesia and-"

"No. This isn't Mao. This is just some stupid imposter trying to leech off her money." I didn't understand why Hikaru was getting so worked up- did he hate me that much?

"She _has_ been acting quite strangely recently," Kyoya said, adding to their case.

There was a bit of mumbling, before Honey piped up. "Mao-chan, please stay away from the door."

I looked up, confused by the sudden change of topic before I understood what they were going to do. I hid under the duvet, hoping that they would just vanish. My door blasted open again, quite literally, for the second time of the day. I plugged my ears with my fingers again, and hummed louder. If I pretended that they weren't there, then they wouldn't be there. It was too early for this shit. Granted, it's three in the afternoon, but it's still too early for this shit. They wouldn't believe me anyway. The last thing I need is to get a one-way ticket to a mental hospital with full-time surveillance.

But they, quite mercilessly, took away my duvet, leaving me looking like a helpless curled-up slug, still humming, on the bed. There was a bit of hesitation, and I peeked up at them, trying to decide who would be most inclined to be on my side. But either way, Haruhi coaxed me up, and brought me to the living room couch, where everyone stood stonily in front of me.

"So, what are the charges?" Hikaru prompted. "I know identity theft is one. Trespassing? Murder?"

I composed myself, and stared straight at Hikaru. "There will not be any charges."

"What?"

I smiled, forcing myself to chuckle hollowly, and said, "Why, you don't even know who I am to begin with."

"Is that a confession?"

"I did up a quick search, using Fuwa Mao's image, and I found a similar-looking girl. Her name is Rachel Cho, a Singaporean," Kyoya said, looking at his laptop.

He could access files from another world, too?

"The only problem is, this Rachel Cho passed away ten years ago."

Ah. So there was another Rachel Cho in this universe, huh. I stared at Kyoya.

"Please tell us who you are, so we can help you," Honey appealed, looking serious. "We're your friends, aren't we? No matter whether you're Mao-chan or not."

I smiled politely. "But you wouldn't believe me."

"Friends believe each other," Honey insisted.

I faltered, and looked down at my hands. It suddenly felt stuffy in here. "Friends, huh."

"I don't want to be _friends_ with a criminal," Hikaru sneered.

I stood up and glared at him. Well, if he's being a jerk, I can't help it. "Goddammit. You don't even know who I am, and here you are, trying to pin names on me? I don't need this, okay? You're not even _real_. You're just a bunch of useless characters in a stupid anime. I'm Rachel Cho, but I'm not from this world, and I hate you!"

Goddammit, I'm actually crying.

"You're not from this world…?" Haruhi echoed. "Doesn't that sort of stuff usually happen in books and movies?"

I looked at her. "Yes, I'm not. I'm from another universe. I was flying to Japan for an exchange program, and all of a sudden, I get into this stupid world with stupid rose petals. And I'm told I have to be someone called 'Mao Fuwa'. The universe is in decay, and I have no idea how to stop it, and Mao's angry with me, and I'm just so done, okay."

There was a short silence as they tried to absorb what I said.

"'Mao's angry with you'? What do you mean-?" Haruhi asked.

"I don't believe you. Do _you_ actually believe her words? She's clearly lying, and it doesn't even sound sane!" Hikaru said angrily. "At least find something that's reasonable, won't you?"

"It doesn't sound… very scientifically possible," Kyoya muttered. "Fuwa Mao _was _an actual patient at our hospital, anyway, and definitely not a made-up persona. Which brings me to the question of: what have you done to Fuwa Mao?"

"Unless, she _is_ Fuwa Mao, and she's just confused-" Kaoru said, but was silenced by Hikaru's glare.

"I don't have a reason to lie," I said, trying to keep my tone even, even as I played with the hems of my shirt. Please believe me, please, please. "_Please."_

"I believe you, Rachel," Honey said softly.

"You do?" I asked, looking down at him.

"I believe you too," Mori said, ruffling my hair.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think you're lying," Haruhi said, shrugging. "So I believe you're telling the truth."

Kaoru looked uncertainly at the still-fuming Hikaru, but shot me an encouraging smile. I smiled back, and turned to Kyoya. Kyoya stared straight through me, and I was sure that I was messing with his worldview, something that he didn't seem to appreciate.

"Well then, that means the princess is in danger, and that we need to help her!" Tamaki announced. "Who's with me?"

Everyone (except the doubtful trio) cheered, Kyoya succumbed, and the twins were the last to fall. I smiled uncertainly, but still glad that we ended with the mood of a happy ending. Ah! I would need to tell Mao about this, then. I reached around for my phone, and dialled Mao's number, placing it on loudspeaker.

"What are you doing, Ra-chan?" Honey asked, watching me curiously.

I smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'd like to meet, or rather, hear the real Mao Fuwa, wouldn't you?"

"It could well be a voice actress. Besides, it's not like phone signals can reach across a universe, can it?" Hikaru folded his arms.

"Somehow, it can. We came up with a hypothesis, and, well, the phone signals were reaching out for each other. Picture a lot of universes, like plates, stacked together. And the magnetic field between them is the thing that keeps us from smashing into each other. But now that there's a …crack in this universe-sandwich, and our phones keep trying to emit that signal, which somehow gets warped by the magnetic field. And we found each other, I guess," I tried to explain. "It's what Mao came up with, anyway."

Mao picked up, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rachel. You called."

"I… did."

"… Well, you sound like crap." She coughed awkwardly.

"I know," I said, and coughed again. "But before you say anything else, I've told the Host Club already."

"That's comforting to hear. Did you think about widening the gap between the cracks?"

"Are you still angry with me?"

"…I'm sorry. Just, the stress, you know? I'm trying to figure out exactly what I said when I wished I went to another world, and the guilt is crippling. Maybe if we make sense of whatever we were supposed to do in our respective universes, then we could figure out some clue to stop the world from ending." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm pissed off, but I'm trying not to be angry with you."

"I'm sorry too, but the Host Club is actually listening in, so…"

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"Lovely. I'm pleased to meet all of you honoured gentlemen."

"Don't do that!" I whisper-shrieked.

"Why not?" She scoffed. "You're the one with the awkward chat speak!"

"It's hardly awkward! Nobody uses the phrase 'honoured gentlemen'!" I argued.

"Anyway, Fuwa-san, it's a pleasure to hear from you," Kyoya managed to say. "Ootori Kyoya, at your service."

"…Ootori-san, I've been hearing a lot about you. I am… shocked to realise that you've managed to believe and understand everything Rachel has told you about our predicament."

"I am glad that you realise, Fuwa-san."

"Of course I would have. You want me to confirm that I am the actual Fuwa Mao, don't you?"

"Please do."

She paused, and shuffled. "I made you buy me ice-cream every time you came around with your teacher, and my ward number was, if I remember correctly, four hundred and ninety-five."

"You made Kyoya buy ice-cream for you? How impressive!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Kyoya nodded, and that was how I knew that it was finally a happy-ending. I sunk back into the couch, and watched as everyone surrounded the phone, snatching it up and placing it down. Hikaru slunk behind, and gave me a shifty look. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I figured that he was willing to take my word for it, and I was a little cheered up by that. Maybe something good would come out of this confession.

Mori pushed a mug of warm water into my hands, and I grinned at him. Friends, huh. It sounded like a nice term anyway.

* * *

AN: I just realised that Honey is actually an emotionally manipulative person (to a certain degree), and that Rachel was, slightly, too. If you're wondering why Kyoya didn't pick out some parts of Rachel's ramblings, don't fret. He has, but he just hasn't put them forth. I think that's his tact. Like the newspaper club episode, he didn't want to get Tamaki involved (it might be due to how Tamaki would stand up for the newspaper club, but) because I don't think he wanted Tamaki to get hurt. So that's the 'Mommy' of the club, looking out for everyone.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	17. Chapter 15

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 16

AN: ah. Here's another fluffy chapter. :D I'm just so happy for Rachel ack my bby you're so twisted and young and so, so _alone_ I wish I could hug you, but then I'd just be making it worse when I hit you with a sledgehammer of plot. For the next few weeks, I probably wouldn't be able to update as often (and once I lose interest, I'd probably just stop updating D: oh god crap) because of school reopening.

** SakuraDreamerz: **I'm glad, too. But I'm also a little doubtful about how long it'll take before they warm up to each other. And Makoto doesn't know, either!

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

Kyoya declared me still unfit to go back to school, and so I was here, stuck in the house for the third day, relying on text messages and Tsuda to survive the boredom. Mao made me promise to tell them that this universe was a fictional one, and I was quite sure that I had blurted something out yesterday. Still, I had to make it clear to them. They deserved this much, though I was quite edgy, certain that 'Ignorance is bliss' was a quote fitting for this case.

I wanted some sort of closure with Hikaru, and I wasn't sure how to go about doing it, because he was one unresponsive jerk. What was his deal, anyway? Why was he so insistent on me being the bad person? I needed to clear that one up. Besides, I never really got to talk to Kaoru, except that one time, and he was pretty much a jerk. A nicer one, though. And now that I became 'friends' with the Host Club, Tamaki's constant stream of messages became much less formal, and he took to Honey's method of adding cute little emoticons to everything.

If I were them, I would have felt uncomfortable with some random person sticking into their lives and causing them to be in constant mortal danger, with the magnetic field between our universes wrecking trouble. They fixed my bedroom door, though. I mused about bribing one of them to get me apple juice, and then my phone rang.

_From: Kyoya_

_Message: I took a look at last Thursday's surveillance tape of the club room, and I believe I understand what you meant by the entire drugs incident. Was that what you meant by 'twisting of the plot line'?_

…

_From: Kyoya_

_Message: The Host Club is coming over to your apartment this afternoon, please be prepared._

…

_To: Kyoya_

_Message: ah._

…

_To: Kyoya_

_Message: prepared?_

I stared at the phone, and watched as the time became two. There was a loud drilling noise, and I hid under the coffee table. Was that an earthquake? I'm sure I felt the floor beneath me rumble… And then the bell rang. Opening the door, I found the Host Club right in front of me. What the hell? I know they're all for fanservice and making ladies happy, but _this_? This is _unnecessary!_

"W-what?" I winced at the sparkles. "No sparkles! No roses, please! And no mushrooms!" I added, as Tamaki began growing a farm of mushrooms in the corner of the doorway.

"Ra-chan, we came to see you~! Here, I brought some cake! It's vanilla, so you'll be okay eating this!" Honey marched in.

I nodded at the box he pushed into my hands. "W-wait! Why are you guys here?"

"I was dragged here, but it's good to see you, Rachel-san," Haruhi said, smiling.

"You should drop the suffix, Haruhi. I thought we've been through this. Besides, I'm actually younger than all of you, so…" I paused, thinking about it. "Actually, I should be addressing all of you as 'sempai's, shouldn't I?"

"Ah! It's fine, Rachel. It's alright. But how old are you?"

"Fourteen. My birthday's in June, actually," I answered, and followed them into the living room. "Do you guys want something to drink? Tsuda-san's banned all the apple juice in the house, but-"

"Oh, don't speak so ill of me, Ra! After watching you chug up that whole box of apple juice, I was convinced that-"

"Apple juice is lovely!"

"-It was _two in the morning,_ child! And you were running a fever!"

I pushed her away. "Tsuda-san, you're allowed a break time of two hours, okay? Go and rest or something!"

"How ungrateful!" she yelled back from the corridor, before laughing. "I'll be back by five, okay?"

I sighed, and smiled at the door.

"Are you feeling better, Ra-chan?"

"Yeah. Kyoya insisted on keeping me here, though," I accused, eyeing him warily. "My temperature's back to normal."

"As a doctor, I must say that keeping a patient's emotional needs regulated and stable is part of the recovery process," Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses.

"I bet you're trying to keep me as an experimental subject," I muttered darkly under my breath. "Anyway, I'll get you guys some tea."

I went into the kitchen, and started looking around for some tea leaves. Someone entered, and I turned around, and smiled. It was one of the twins. I readied myself, because I still couldn't tell them apart just by their looks. He smiled, and I concluded that it was probably Kaoru. I'd bet Hikaru's attitude towards _smiling_ is: "It contorts the face". I nodded back.

"So, what is it, Kaoru?" I asked, turning back to the tea leaves in the packaging. Maybe I'd just use instant tea bags.

"How do you know I'm Kaoru?" his voice confirmed my suspicions.

"I can only tell you two apart by the voice, but when you smiled, I knew it was probably the kinder twin," I explained, shoving the tea leaves back into the cabinet and looking for tea bags. "Do you mind tea bags? Instant tea."

"Here, I'll help."

I raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that I'm pretty much a commoner now, right?"

"You," he started to say, looking through the cupboards. "Are a daughter of two authors. The eccentricity was explained like that."

"Ah."

"Indeed."

I busied myself for a bit, and pointed Kaoru to where the cups were kept. "Why was Hikaru so worked up? Does he have something against me?"

Kaoru kept silent for a moment, and looked at me. "Do you _know_ Fuwa Mao?"

"Not… exactly." I turned away from the kettle and back to him. "Do you?"

"Yeah, kind of. When we were younger, we kept to ourselves, until one snowy day. There was a little girl who invited us to play with her, and we made her guess who was who. She did it correctly, but when we told her otherwise, she apologized and told us not to cry." He leaned against the kitchen table and smiled. "She was Fuwa Mao. And I guess she was pretty important to Hikaru."

"Then, wouldn't he be kinder to me?" I asked, perplexed. "I don't understand."

"You weren't living up to his expectations of what he thought Fuwa Mao would be like, and besides that, he'd prefer never to see you again. It's weird, but along with you, you seemed to bring about change," he said, and shrugged. "I, too, was hoping you'd be different. Less ordinary."

I nodded. "Wait, is that an insult?"

He shrugged, and gave me an impish grin before he said, "And you turned out to be just another victim stuck in a traffic jam. Except that you knew how to tell us apart."

"Not by sight, that is. I just go with my gut for the most." The kettle started whistling, and I turned the stove off before lugging the kettle towards the cups. "But why was Mao in the hospital?"

"You'll have to ask Kyoya-sempai for that one."

I placed the kettle beside the cups for a break, and then lifted it again. "Do you… believe me?"

Kaoru didn't say anything, so I didn't push on. I poured the hot water into the cup, trying not to scald myself or spill any water. After I was done, I placed the kettle back onto the stove and sighed. How were we supposed to carry out eight cups of water? I could try balancing three, but Kaoru… I turned to him, and realised that there was another presence at the kitchen's entrance. I looked at the other twin. Hikaru was expressionless for the most, and I turned back to the cups, pretending to recount the exact number again. God, damn the awkwardness in here.

So instead of succumbing to the awkward situation in the kitchen, I said, "Kaoru, will you help me with the cups?"

He took two, and Hikaru let him pass through. I dilly-dallied with the cups, and then looked up at him. Was he doing a 'Mori-sempai' on me, now? I raised an eyebrow, and folded my arms.

"Are you intending to help me with the cups? If not, you're being a major blockade."

"Why Fuwa Mao?"

"What?" God, I really don't want to deal with his hysterics.

"Why did you swap with Fuwa Mao-"

"I didn't _swap _with her. Somehow we were chosen, okay?" I rolled my eyes. "Now, if you don't mind, you can just get away from the door-"

"I don't want to believe you."

I paused, trying to think of a perfectly normal reaction to that, before I shrugged nonchalantly. What the hell? What does 'don't _want to _believe' mean? Is he trying to be a jerk? Well, whatever. I've told my part of the story, and he's not obligated to believe. His opinion doesn't matter anyway, right? Just then, Haruhi appeared from behind him. He tilted his head to look at her, before stalking out of the kitchen. I shook my head when Haruhi glanced at my clenched fists. Someone please stuff Hikaru Hitachiin with slime. Oh wait, that wouldn't be necessary because he's already one big furry slimeball.

"Rachel?" Haruhi asked, moving towards the cups. "Please don't get angry over him-"

"I'm _not_ angry."

"If you say so…?" she took the cups and moved out of the kitchen.

I took two cups, and realised that I'd have to make another trip back. Damn that slimeball; he didn't even have the _decency_ to take two cups with him. Stupid, stuck-up, privileged slimeball. May he rot in eternity and roll down a thousand mountains. Nope, I'm not angry. Can't get angry over a stupid villain like him; just irritated, that's all.

* * *

"Rachel-san, I-" Kyoya approached me, without even offering to take the cups from my hands.

"Just Rachel, please."

"Rachel, I found a file on your family in this universe. Would you like to look at it?"

Oh, right. I had a family. I can't believe I let them slip out of my mind… Wait, a file? Why was Kyoya passing me a file? To gauge my reaction? Does he think I'm the undead Rachel Cho in this universe? Haruhi passed by me to take the two other cups. I nodded at him, placed the two cups on a nearby table, and took the file over.

The first page had our family photos on it. The top one had everyone; Mom, Dad, Ricky, Roland and me- young, blurred and pixelated. I smiled. Ricky wasn't dead here, huh. The second one was more recent, and had everyone but me in it. Mom and Dad looked more tired, and Ricky was slinking about in his hoodie. I smiled at it. At least Ricky was normal here.

"Thank you," I muttered, flipping through the file.

There was more information about the family here, and I felt as though it would be bad of me to look at their private lives. It wasn't like I was part of their family over here. But still… Ricky was in university; Roland was still in primary school… I looked up to find that Kyoya was staring. He pushed his glasses up and went back into the living room, and I think- it's only a _thought_- that he might have smiled. What are the chances?

"Ra-chan, Ra-chan, aren't you joining us?" Honey asked, glancing from behind the wall.

"Y-yeah, I am." I shifted the file under my arm.

I took the cups from the convenient table, and walked over. Tamaki was telling the twins off, Kyoya was working on something with his computer, and Haruhi was just trying to avoid being caught up in the mess. Mori came over and helped me with the cups. He looked at the file under my arm, and I pretended not to notice. As I went into my room, intending to put away the file, the thought of returning it crossed my mind. But still, Kyoya had taken time to find it, and organise it, and the action might be taken as hostile by him.

I had neglected explaining what I meant by the plotlines and the anime, and I wondered if I should; how would they react if they knew that they were in an anime? Mao was offended, least to say. I didn't understand why she was offended, and she didn't seem like she wanted to tell me. Nobody wanted to be honest with me, and I guess I understood why we didn't exactly speak our minds when it came to certain things, but I just wished I knew what everyone was thinking; it would make everything simultaneously easier and more complicated.

Except for that one special slimeball, that is. He's always being so regrettably honest and blunt that it's just so maddening. Well, I thought, sitting down on my bed, that at least he was honest with me. And maybe that was the way to patch things up in our non-existent friendship.

Someone knocked, and entered. I looked up at Mori, and realised that I had guests over, and that hiding in the room wasn't polite of me. I hastily stood up, and bowed, apologising. He ruffled my head, and said,

"Stop thinking."

_Stop thinking._

_Okay._

"Okay," I said softly. "Okay."

And I perked up, following him into the living room to join the rest.

* * *

"I need to talk to you, Kyoya."

"Is it about the slight outburst yesterday?" he said, without looking up at me.

I can't believe what's going on right now, but I'm actually cornering the notorious Shadow King in my kitchen. I'm _cornering_ the Shadow King in my kitchen. Me, him, alone together in the kitchen with a batch of baking cookies. It's supposed to sound vaguely seductive and secretive in another context, but we're really just hanging out (him against his will) in the plain furnishings of the kitchen. Well, Honey set up the perfect opportunity for me to drag him along as an extra help, while the rest waited, playing monopoly. I peeked at him. Still working on his computer. I can imagine why the rest didn't want to play monopoly with Kyoya around; they'd be reduced to ashes in less than ten minutes.

That, and I did not want to have Tamaki grow mushrooms anywhere in my house, or Kyoya to reveal his evil demonic spirit in this apartment. I gulped at the sight of his glinting glasses (god, can he read minds now?) and looked back at the baking cookies.

"Yeah. I mentioned something about an 'anime', which I'm sure you picked up on." Okay, maybe actually telling him about the anime isn't such a good idea.

I don't know why I decided to tell him about the existence of the anime, but I think it's mostly got to do with the file he passed me just now. Actually, this is a pretty stupid idea, but guess what, I've been pretty stupid all these while, so why not just add another act to the list? And besides, I've already told them I'm out of this world. They're sure to come to conclusions on how Mao and I managed to swap places.

"Rachel?"

"Ah." Crap I'm doing a Mori on him, now. "I meant, well, you guys are fictional characters in an anime in my world."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, apparently. I was asked to choose which fictional world I would go to if I had the choice, and I decided that I might as well go to Ouran, since it's hilarious and pretty relaxing for a fictional world. But I didn't know that this would happen, that is." I paused. "And to think about it, this isn't exactly part of the plot. I was tracking episodes to see where I was, and I was strictly not going to intervene with the time-and-space continuum, but I guess it just spiralled out of control."

"I see."

I looked back at him, who was still penning details down on his little black book. "No, you don't."

"What don't I see?" he asked, and I felt stupid for blurting that out.

I stared at him, and he stared back. "You don't _think_ that I'm telling the truth."

"You're thinking that," he said, snapping his black book shut. "Only because I'm not showing signs of empathy."

"But that doesn't mean you don't think I'm telling the truth," I defended.

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well then, what is the use of knowing? I'm not looking for the truth, you see. I'm looking for facts that are _useful to believe_."

"I don't understand."

He smiled. "Of course you wouldn't."

I nodded. "I wouldn't, unless you told me."

"Which," he said, the little black book finding its way open again. "Brings us to the question of 'why'?"

"Why what?"

He didn't answer, and so I turned back to the oven. Five more minutes. I stared at the oven for a moment, longer, turned back to Kyoya, and then back to the oven. The smell of the cookies was getting to me. I smiled- a goofy grin- and inhaled the fragrance deeply. Ah. Cookies.

"Kyoya," I said, getting his attention (it was hard to tell, especially since he showed no reaction to my words). "When it was just you guys goofing around in a screen, it was easy to just watch. Just looking on at the parody. And especially since you had already been classified into types, it was easy to figure you out. But now, I don't understand anything at all; I can't just _watch_ because I don't know what's going to happen next. You may not be real in my world, but you're real to me."

"You should consider telling the Host Club about this," he said after a long silence.

"I don't want to. I don't know why, but Mao was upset when she realised that the world she was living in wasn't real in _mine_. I don't know how the rest will take it, especially when Hikaru's unhappy with me." I checked the timer. One more minute.

"Then why would you tell me?"

I was about to answer when the oven started whistling. Cool. Whistling ovens. I thought only kettles did that, but it turned out that this oven was whistling Pachelbel's Canon. That's one smooth oven. I would totally marry it if I were into it.

I took the cookies out- and started to wonder about the usefulness of gentlemen in a kitchen. God, didn't they know how to _help out_? Kyoya was just standing by the side, checking things off his notebook. I considered my reply again, and said,

"It depends on whether you see it as a truth or a fact that's useful to believe."

He didn't respond.

I fiddled around with the plates, and said, "You were Roland's favourite character. Cool and calculating."

When I slid open the kitchen door, Honey was standing there, beaming brightly at me as he helped me with the cookies. I smiled back, and assumed that he didn't hear us. When I got back into the room, Tamaki was howling over how he'd just lost two properties to the scheming twins. I laughed, and sat on the couch behind Haruhi as she grumbled about 'rich bastards' and the like. Mori was cautious, but in the lead. Kyoya came up, and everyone froze when they saw him. The Shadow King had come to regain his position. We played another round at Honey's insistence to include everyone, and then I sent them packing.

* * *

AN: I wonder what he means by 'useful to believe'... hmm...

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	18. Chapter 16

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 17

AN: Happy New Year, and here's another chapter! It's considerably shorter, I guess. I drew a picture (more like, doodled) of Rachel in her dress in chapter 9, I think. It's on my deviantart- spoonfulofmacaroni, titled '1'.

I'm also working on another interlude. Different POVs, you know what to expect. Meh.

** supermanisawesome: **Yes, Hikaru is a total ass. I'll leave it up to your imagination to ship them ehehehe. Hm, take Kyoya in any way you'd like. But maybe he gave her the file just to gauge her reaction? I can see the end of the story coming soon, sigh.

** guest: **Here it is! I can't promise the next few days will warrant an update, but I'll write as much as I can now.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

Friday was a good day. I'd finally been out of bed, and able to get to school. I skipped all the way to the classroom, and greeted everyone cheerily. The Princess was finally out of her castle and out in the open air~! I spun around, watching my uniform twirl around like a giant pancake around me. When I got into my seat, grinning and all jumpy like an agitated beaver, the girls in class shot me a weird look.

"Someone's been drinking too much apple juice!" Makoto's voice boomed from behind me, and I squealed.

"Mako~! I survived two days without apple juice! That's an achievement!" I beamed and struck the victory sign.

She thumped me on the head, and sat in the chair next to mine. "And you didn't have time to call me back?"

"You called?"

"I left a _message_, Little Miss Star-struck." She rolled her eyes. "_And_ I called, millions of time!"

"Oh?"

"Did you even look at your phone? God, I pity that poor gadget."

"Wait, how did you get my phone number?"

"The creepy guy called Ootori Kyoya," she said, and waved her hand, like it was nothing. "I asked, and he volunteered to send me a whole file on you. Actually, I think it was Suoh-sempai who volunteered the file. He's glad that his daughter is finally making friends."

I shrugged, and she gave me a weird look before lowering her voice and whispering, "Is he, like, your _sugar-daddy_?"

"Ew! Don't be gross!" I blanched, and laughed. "But why didn't you come visit me?"

"You forget that I am _engaged_. I have tea ceremonies to go to, now, and I have to have high-tea with that theatre kid. Cheese cake and all. It's not fun." She stuck out her tongue. "And I have to dress up and put on make-up, and wear fancy dresses. I'm all about fashion, really, but when it's an everyday thing, after school, _no._ And that guy's agreeing, too! He says that it isn't necessary, and that he'd rather settle down and watch movies, but really. _No._"

I laughed aloud, and she smacked my arm. And then she got really serious. "I don't think I want to marry him."

I shrugged. "If you're saying what he said in an objective tone, then I guess he's okay. But you've got to give him a chance. Pretend you've been dating for ten years and that society expects you two to get married. But really, during those ten years, somewhere, you've got amnesia. And now you need to figure him out again. Yeah."

She looked at me doubtfully, and then chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. That sounds like a good script, though."

I smacked my forehead, and exclaimed, "See? Do you not see? 'Script'! His theatrics are rubbing off you!"

"I'll admit, but still," she said, shrugging.

"It's really your choice. I mean, your parents can't just _force_ you into a marriage, right? It's the twenty-first century! You've got choices-"

"I don't have 'choices'. I have to get married, because I'm a girl in a kendo clan. Wow, that really sucks," she said grumpily and snappishly.

I nodded, and then checked my old phone. Carrying two phones around was quite confusing, but I'd gotten over most of the confusion in my predicament already anyway. Makoto glanced over, and then went back to her sulking. Mao had been sending me texts. Wow, I really need to get a louder ringtone for my phone.

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: This is urgent. Contact me asap when you get this._

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Rachel Cho, call me!_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Okay, look, whatever. You're not going to pick up, so. There's been a Bermuda-triangle thing around the fringes of the apartment building. I have no idea how the heck it's gotten so fast- are you okay?_

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Please tell me you're okay. I'm not sure what happens after you walk into the grey dimension, but I don't think it's pleasant. I think it's supposed to warp and twist your body._

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Basically, a mini black hole that doesn't suck things in. _

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Here's the catch. I haven't been able to contact your family. I've been keeping the Host family in the apartment for as long as I can. _

…

_From: Mao Fuwa_

_Message: Do you think the rest of the Earth is already swallowed up?_

I glanced through the message. Wait, so Mao was trapped in her apartment building? The Grey (I resorted to calling it like a colour; because colours are the basics, but we conjure them into magicians and logical reasoning.) had spread that fast? How was that even possible? We hadn't done anything to endanger the timeline or the universe lately. We were just managing our daily lives, as normal as we could. And it was speeding up. The decay was knocking at our door, barging in, conquering and sweeping us into its dimensional mess.

The thing about Mao is that she comes up with these scary theories. And the thing about those scary theories is that they always seem to be true. A Bermuda-triangle? That was freaky as hell. We couldn't even explain it! Except that Science hinted at a gas- was it methane? I scrolled through the messages again.

And this time, the second last text caught my eye.

My family.

Roland.

The Grey.

Oh my god. Oh my _god._ Roland. Mom. Dad. Where- how- The Grey. They were sucked into it. Or they just walked right into it. Not knowing. And I didn't know- I never even remembered. I was in this little world, trying to deal with the Hosts. A fascination that left my family forgotten. Oh _god._ Maybe they were just going grocery shopping, wondering about my wellbeing, thinking about me and the photographs I would show them when I got back, and then, _boom._ They would walk right into The Grey. No. No, I was probably wrong. Maybe the only area of decay was Japan, since that was there the crack was, possibly. And since we were both in the Japan of different universes. I looked at the phone, and found that my hands were shaking so much it was hard to read the words. Calm down. They're probably alright. Just chilling in a supermarket or something.

The last time I told them I loved them was through a stupid message.

What kind of a daughter am I- they're my _family_. If anything, they've kept me emotionally and literally alive and well. The least I could do was to _remember_ them.

Oh my god, Rachel Cho, stop shaking- stop. Stop. Just stop. You're going to shake the entire universe out of its track. No. The Grey isn't even- no. Just stop thinking. Stop thinking.

"_Stop thinking."_

Right. I should do that. Stop. But it's so hard- I can't stop myself. My fingers ache. I need to stop. Okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. They're not okay.

'_Warp and twist your body'_

No, it probably wouldn't. Look at the school, and what happened. The Hosts are fine. They're not damaged or twisted or bent out of shape or anything. The Grey probably isn't that strong. No. No, the school wasn't engulfed by The Grey. It was just fading. Flickering. That's all. But then, attacking at the very heart of this fictional world would cost it a lot of energy, right?

Stop thinking, Rachel. Stop. Just stop.

Help.

But where will I go to if I get home? The worlds are cracking up- oh _god stop thinking about yourself! Stop thinking._ Stop. Stop. Stop being selfish. Oh god. No.

"Fuwa-san?" the teacher called, and I jolted, sitting up straight. "Are you alright?"

The whole class was staring at me, and I realised that I was clutching onto the edge of the table and hyperventilating. I nodded. Once, twice, but she didn't seem convinced.

"I'll take her to the nurse's office," one of the twins said.

Whichever one he was, he dragged me roughly by the arm and took me to the nurse's office. When I got out of the classroom, I stumbled, and let the tears fall. I was conscious that I was making a big fat fuss, and that I was probably embarrassing him by how I seemed to be like a platypus high on caffeine. Breathing in deeply, I tried to calm myself down, but ended up hiccupping. In, out, in, out, in, out-

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," I said quickly, and placed my hand over my mouth.

"Well, the nurse will."

"No." I shoved my phone into my pocket. "No, I don't want to go to the nurse's office."

"Suit yourself," the twin said, and left me standing in the middle of a hallway.

Hikaru. Definitely Hikaru.

I turned back to see him walk away, and I contemplated asking him to stay. But he'd probably refuse and be of no use to my current emotional state. So instead, I took the nearest stairs down and up a few corridors before I came to one with a clear view of the clock tower. Sitting down and leaning against the wall, I tried to breathe normally again.

God.

No- stop thinking, Rachel. Stop.

I think my family's dead.

I think they've snapped.

I think _I've_ snapped.

* * *

A couple of people passed by me. I caught their hurried whispers, but other than that, I was left alone. I stared at the clock on the clock tower. Tick, tock, tick, tock. I don't want to go back into class. I don't want to look at anyone. I don't want to talk or listen. I want to sleep.

"Hey, isn't that Ra-chan?" Honey stopped in front of me.

"Ah."

"Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai, hello," I said, and laughed hollowly at myself.

Honey knelt down beside me, and pushed Usa-chan into my hands. "Are you okay, Ra-chan?"

I don't know why, but it's always this line that unwinds me. A brittle wound-up doll, with all her creaky gears and stapled limbs. Somehow, my voice always cracks- a line drilled from the tips of my tongue to the hard nails on my fingers- when I try to answer. And the tears always come up again, and my heavy, empty chest keeps heaving when I try lying. Maybe it's a self-defence mechanism that actively seeks comfort and the warmth of a hug. I looked down at my hands.

"Yes." My fingers form a cradle around Usa-chan.

"No." It's Mori who replies to my obvious lie.

"Yeah, Ra-chan, you're not okay," Honey said, trying to look at my face. "What's wrong?"

"_Everything,"_ I said lowly, and take a deep breath. "My family's _snapped_."

Usa-chan is shaking very hard in my hands, and I laughed awkwardly. Oh my god, Rachel. No. Stop thinking, please. Just stop drawing lines on the edges of the cliff; it's not like that survival guide of logic can save anyone who wants to jump. Stop thinking.

"Mao! Get away from her!" Makoto. "Mao, when that Hitachiin came back, I knew something was wrong. I looked all over for you. Are you-?"

"It's fine, Mako. They're my friends," I said to her, without looking at her.

"Yeah, Ra-chan's our friend. We'll take care of her," Honey said.

"'Ra-chan'? What do you mean?"

"Slip of the tongue," I added quickly before either of them could say anything.

"Really," she said, rolling her eyes. "I had to scream at Hitachiin told me anything."

"You screamed at him?" I repeated. "Wow."

"The things I do," she said. "But are you sure… do you want to go to the nurse's office?"

"We can take care of Mao-chan!" Honey said. Mori echoed him.

Makoto knelt down beside me. "Are you sure you'll be fine with them?"

I looked at her, and smiled weakly, before nodding. She gave them each a glare- even Mori!- and bowed to them. They bowed back, and she patted my shoulder.

"I'll see you in school, then."

I nodded vaguely. "Yeah. Promise."

She slowly walked away. I let out a shaky breath, and slumped even further (if that was possible) against the wall. Tick, tock, tick, tock… Honey nodded at Mori, and before I knew it, I was carried away. Tick, tock, tick, tock… Wait, where were they taking me?

"Where?" I echoed my thoughts.

"The club room, of course! There's nothing cake can't fix," Honey said happily.

I nestled into Mori's arms. He was like a stronger and nicer big brother that I never had. Warm, and snuggly and steady. I tried not to sleep, and forced myself to concentrate on the similar hallways. Usa-chan was still in my hands, so I hugged it tightly and stuffed my face into its silky and soft ears. It smelt nice, like strawberries. I used to sniff at the boxes of strawberries in the supermarket; Mom always left the 'strawberry picking' to me. Soft, and fluffy.

A door opened, and I realised that we were in the club room. Mori set me down on a couch, and Honey pranced around, trying to find more cake in this paradise. I lay down on the couch, curling up like a slug. Tick, tock, tick, tock…

"Don't you have classes?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then you should get going to your classes."

"We should."

I looked at Mori. "Then why are you here?"

He stood up from his chair, and walked over, bending down and placing his large hand over my eyes. I closed my eyes at the warmth.

"Stop thinking."

"Okay," I said.

He removed his hand soon, but I kept my eyes closed, and relaxed, snuggling into the couch. Maybe some sleep would be good. I hugged the stuffed bunny closer to my chest, pretended that I was back home with my pillows and bolsters, and slept. I'm not sure if they finally came to their senses and left the room, but it felt like Ricky was there, watching over me while Roland sat, finishing his math homework and complaining about my lack of homework.

Stop thinking, Rachel.

* * *

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	19. Interlude III

I Prefer Spearmint: Interlude III

AN: Here's an interlude of many perspectives! :D It's been a little hard to write since school reopened- and I am tired, ugh, because new classes and stuffs. Interlude's shorter than other chapters, but then again I feel like my word count's steadily decreasing.

** Guest 1: **QAQ Ah, yes, she misses her family, but not really. She's forgotten about them for quite some time, and is feeling guilty for doing that. And she manages to twist that fear into something that concerns her own safety, which just makes her feel all the more guilty and selfish. Rachel's a twisted character ahhh. D: BUT ALL THE SAME LET'S FIX THE UNIVERSE (except I can't.)

** Btrice-meow: **Thank you. That's it. Review. (haha, I'm just kidding. Thanks!)

** Guest 2:** Yeah, the universes were already falling apart- ever since they made the swap. Because you can never leave no trails or after-effects behind once you go against natural order? It's just a kind of progressive breaking apart, but ever since they've been steadily contacting each other through their phones, the anchorage starts to accelerate the falling apart of the universes, causing the universe to be subjected to the magnetic field between the two universes. Like plates stacked against each other. So now, the cracks in the universes are widening and it's not very nice D:

** Kso12: **Umh, I have no idea if you're trying to express your immense dedication to my story (and hence the exclamation of 'This is nuts'), or if you're finding flaw with my story and hence expressing your distaste for my lack of scientific knowledge? But maybe it's a compliment, so I'll take it as a compliment, yay :D

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

* * *

**Hikaru's POV**

Kaoru was nudging me so hard that I had no other choice but to volunteer to take her to the nurse's office. She's weird. And her shaking wouldn't stop. It was so loud, it's a wonder we even managed to get her attention- and not involve the country's natural disaster system or counter-terrorism unit. I dragged her by the arm, and pulled her out of the country. She's shaking really badly, and I want her to stop doing that, especially since it's so horrifying. Nobody could do that without being on some kind of drugs- it must hurt a lot. Her phone is still in her grip. It's the one she used to call Mao. Did she get something from Mao? She shouldn't be holding it like that- what if she breaks it? Is Mao hurt? Maybe something wrong happened on the other side. To Mao. Why is she so terrified?

She started to hiccup, and cry. I'm at a loss as to what to do, and so I continued dragging her down the hallway.

"What's wrong?" I asked finally.

And when I saw her ghastly pale face, I recoiled. She looks horrible, and she looks scared.

"I don't know."

How can she not know? She's the one causing all our problems! She's supposed to fix whatever she's gotten us into, and then disappear from our lives entirely! How selfish of her!

I took a deep breath. It's probably just some 'time of the month' problem, right? Silly girl, trying to garner attention wherever she went. How childish, breaking into our world and assuming positions. Who did she think she was to bother everyone, to the extent that she's ruining our dynamics? It's getting Kaoru more edgy and everyone more worried.

"Well, the nurse will," I snapped, trying to drag her along.

"No. No, I don't want to go to the nurse's office," she said softly.

What's wrong with her? Is she done with trying to skip class? Was that an act? Whatever. She can do whatever she wants to. I'm not responsible for her. Why did I even volunteer to help, anyway? She's just one big giant joke.

"Suit yourself," I muttered.

I turned away from her and started walking back to class. What a waste of time. If she didn't want to go for class like the immature child she probably was, well, I was. But there was something about her tremors. It wasn't faked, was it? It didn't seem so. She's too stupid to even fake an act, anyway. But if so, what was up with her? I turned around. She wasn't there. Shrugging, I went back to class. Whatever.

* * *

**Mori's POV**

We found her along a corridor. She looked tired and faded. She was light, like Mitsukuni; In fact, she was like Mitsukuni in a lot of ways, but was also quite different from him. For one, she was slightly taller and tanner. I felt her snuggle against my chest. With Usa-chan in her hands, she looked more vulnerable and less manipulative than when she would sometimes look; whether it was zoning out in the club room, or when she glanced at all of us.

"Ra-chan has a really good friend, ne?" Mitsukuni said softly, trying not to wake the seemingly sleeping girl. "I'm glad."

Uchihara Makoto, wasn't it? A girl from a Kendo clan, with more skills and brains than was required of her. Females in martial arts weren't treated well. Still, her determination and protectiveness was admirable.

I nodded. "Yes."

We entered the club room, and Rachel asked me a few unnecessary questions drowsily before she dozed off into an actual sleep. I took off her shoes for her, and placed them neatly next to the couch, before I pulled out a pocket book- a short historical novel about sudoku and an unnecessary love triangle- and started reading. Mitsukuni appeared with cake, and upon noting that Rachel was asleep, started to eat it.

"Takashi... what did Ra-chan mean? When she said her 'family's snapped'? Did something happen in her family?"

"To her family, I think."

"Ah? But you know, is there any difference between Ra-chan and Mao-chan? Everyone seems to know Mao-chan..."

"Ah."

Fuwa Mao. I've met her before; when I was seven, I caught her staring while I trained. She faltered, and flailed as I walked over to her, before she chucked her book at me. It was a short Science novel. And then she demanded that I give it back, before laughing sheepishly. I flipped through the book, trying to find out what was so interesting. Most girls were training to be more elegant then, and books about the Sciences were swapped for etiquette lessons.

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Reading."_

"_Well, it's _my_ book! You can't just read it!" she stomped her feet on the ground as I watched, amused._

"_You threw it to me."_

"_Give it back!" a huff. "You have to train, right? Just give it back and go back to whacking with that stick."_

"_Break time."_

_She stormed towards me. "Who are you, anyway!"_

"_Morinozuka Takashi."_

"_Morinozuka…" she considered my name for a moment. "Are you the Yakuza?"_

"_No."_

_She shrugged. "Fuwa Mao. I want my book back, and you should give it back now."_

_I handed the book back to her. She turned it over, wiped it with her sleeves and then examined the pages carefully, occasionally glancing up to shoot me an annoyed glare. When she was certain that her book wasn't injured in any way._

"_So, if you aren't the Yakuza, what are you?"_

"_Morinozuka Takashi."_

"_No," she huffed again. "That's not what I mean. What does your family do?" _

"_Martial arts."_

"_Is that all?" she said, looking quite disappointed. "That's boring."_

_I looked at my bamboo sword, and shrugged. Ignoring her, I went back to training with a straw doll. She lingered uncomfortably for a moment, biting her lips and all._

"_Hey. My mom's writing a novel about someone getting killed. She wants to observe how people do martial arts, so she's here. And that's why I'm here."_

"_Ah." I concentrated on the doll in front of me._

"_But really, I think it's boring. But I want to help my mom, which is why I'm _here_ 'here'. So what can you tell me about Kendo? Not that you can tell me much, but-"_

"_Stop thinking," I said._

"_Stop thinking, eh? That sounds good for a murder motive. Irrational, I like that."_

"_Rational, actually."_

"_Huh?" she shuffled. "But if you stop thinking, wouldn't that just limit your logic and reasoning skills?"_

"_Thinking thoughts can lead to irrational behavior. That's why you should stop thinking and _focus._"_

_She stayed silent and I looked away from the doll. She seemed to be considering it, and I waited for her to excuse herself so that I could get back to my training. Instead, she slammed her palm on her book, realization dawning in her eyes._

"_That's right! A cold-blooded murder!" she exclaimed. "But it'll be hard to explain the process, especially since it seems to contradict in plain sight, which might garner hate from the critics. Maybe if we just portrayed it as a murderer who took pride in murdering and took it really seriously-"_

_I walked over to her, and placed my hand on her head. "Stop thinking."_

_She shook it off. "No, that was just the start."_

_And then she left, little book and wild ideas along with her. _

"Takashi?" Mitsukuni asked, waving his hand in front of me.

"They're very different."

"I think so, too. Ra-chan likes chocolate cake, but I think Mao-chan wouldn't like cake," he said, and went back to eating.

I flipped open my book, and started reading again.

* * *

**Kaoru's POV**

Hikaru came back earlier than expected. I glanced at him; he looked angrier than usual, but felt my gaze on him, and shot me a smile. I smiled back, uncertainly. What happened? He couldn't have taken just a few minutes to drag Rachel into the nurse's office- it would have taken longer! I turned back towards the board, slightly miffed at how immature he was acting, and also a little worried about Rachel.

I hastily wrote a note and passed it through Haruhi to him.

_What happened? -K_

He replied:

_Nothing. I took her to the nurse's office. _

I rolled my eyes.

_Liar._

He looked at the note, and then made the mistake of looking back at me. He couldn't keep anything from me; he was clearly lying!

_Okay. I left her in the Southeast wing. She went off by herself then. She'll be fine._

I scribbled a reply:

_That's irresponsible of you. You should have been a proper host and escorted her!_

But before it got to him, it was intercepted by Haruhi, who decided to look at what we were writing. She looked curious, and then it turned into vague irritation as she glared at Hikaru. I guessed that he must have been lectured by her because he was looking more annoyed.

"We have to find Rachel," Haruhi whispered, just as the bell rang.

I nodded, but Hikaru groaned, "Just let her be. She'll come back."

"Stop being so immature, Hikaru! She's probably lost! She's only been here for a few weeks, and she was shaking so badly just now! Something bad must have happened!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"Why do you care so much about her, Haruhi? She's just another little girl-"

"Because she's our friend!" Haruhi said firmly, and stood up from her seat.

"Aren't we your friends too?" Hikaru yelled.

"Hikaru…" I appealed softly. _It's because she's a little girl, all alone and lost, that's why we have to help her._

Hikaru looked at me, swallowed, and stormed off. I sighed, deciding to follow after him. Hikaru was predictable, as always, because he chose to enter the rose maze. I huffed, and entered after him- this was going to take a long time, especially if we got lost. But we were never lost together. Rachel would have to wait.

"Hikaru!" I shouted, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Kaoru, I don't know. I just feel so angry at _her_." Hikaru turned around, staring at his own feet.

"Why?" I watched my twin struggle for an answer, and felt his helplessness.

Reaching him in a few strides, I interlocked my fingers with his, and gave his hand a light squeeze. _I'm here for you, Hika. _I smiled. He still had a long way to go, letting people into his world, and trying to see things from other perspectives. But that was why I was here, wasn't it?

"I just don't understand." _How she could be so selfish even after losing her world._

"Maybe it's because she has to be." _Anyone would have to be like that after losing everything._

Hikaru squeezed my hand. _I guess. _"What do I do now, Kaoru?"

I chuckled, and said, "_We_ find her."

He looked down at our hands, lifted it up, and nodded. _Yeah._

Hikaru was older than me, technically, but he still didn't know quite a number of things about the real world. Soon, our world would have to make way for the larger one outside, but for now, I would rather prefer him to stay ignorant of the rusting chains and crumbling walls. I was upset that Mao wasn't who she turned out to be, and that Rachel managed to come bursting into our world and placed some form of importance and significance on her existence- but then again, it would have to happen eventually.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Haruhi's POV**

All roads lead to here, huh?

Strange, I think there's a saying like that, too. '_All roads lead to paradise'._ But here I am, in front of the third music room. The place where everything seems to happen. I wouldn't be surprised if I found her in there. I paused, placing my hand on the door handle. And besides, shouldn't it be locked on a normal school day? Well, if I didn't try, I wouldn't know. I pushed open the door, to find the room lit.

"Is anyone in here?" I called out, peering around the room.

"Ah! Haru-chan!" Honey-sempai appeared from behind the door, and smiled, frosting on his cheeks.

If he was here, then Mori-sempai would be here, too. "What are you doing here, Honey-sempai?"

"We found Ra-chan, so we're here to take care of her! Haru-chan, Haru-chan, do you want some cake?" Honey-sempai offered.

"Ah, it's fine. My lessons are starting soon anyway, I'll just see if she's alright," I said, moving towards a couch that Mori-sempai was sitting opposite. "Ah, but don't you have lessons, too?"

"Yes," Mori-sempai answered, without looking up from his book.

I nodded. "Then shouldn't you be going to class?"

"We should," Mori-sempai agreed.

I stared at him, expecting a response. But he didn't do anything, besides continuing to read and flipping the pages of his book. Raising an eyebrow, I forced myself to turn away from him, and instead check on Rachel. She was sleeping soundly, hugging Usa-chan tightly. I smiled at the sight. She was probably just tired out, then? I rearranged her hair, and patted her head. She was so young.

"What happened? Did she tell you?" I asked.

"She said that her family 'snapped'," Honey-sempai replied, shrugging. "I don't know why."

"'Snapped'…?" I said softly.

That didn't make sense. Why would she say that? Unless it was a metaphor for something else? I thought about it for a moment. Maybe she meant it like her family was a web and that when it snapped- maybe her family's breaking apart? But that wouldn't make much sense, would it?

"Haru-chan, don't you have class to go to?" Pot calling the kettle black.

"Ah, yes. I should go now!" I excused myself and went out of the clubroom.

Still, what did Rachel mean by 'snapped'? That was a peculiar way of phrasing it. I whirled around for a final glance at the club room. Rachel was troubled, and we had to get to her somehow. She shouldn't have to bear this alone. I smiled, and started running back to class. The twins were hopefully worried, but I wouldn't put it past them.

"Well, we'll get through this together, somehow…"

* * *

**Honey's POV**

Ra-chan's very tired. I'm tired, too, but I think she needs Usa-chan more right now. I looked at the cake in front of me. It would be a bother to order another batch of cakes if I finished my ration now… But chocolate cake… Maybe I should wait till Ra-chan wakes up, no? Haru-chan came over just now, but that's weird. How did Ra-chan end up in the East wing? Especially in her state; she was shaking so badly! It was terrifying.

I went over to Takashi, and sat down beside him. Takashi's reading his old book as usual. He always reads little pocket books like those, but I guess it's a nice hobby. What should I do now? I studied Ra-chan, and smiled. She looked so cute, like a little doll, when she was asleep!

"Ra-chan's very cute." I giggled.

"Ah."

"You know, Takashi," I looked up at Takashi and grinned. "I feel a little guilty, but, I'd rather have Ra-chan with us than Mao-chan. Mao-chan wouldn't be as nice as Ra-chan."

He stared down at me. "Ah." _I understand._

"But that would be selfish, wouldn't it? She's all alone over here…" I paused. "You know what, Takashi? I'm going to sleep with her for a bit. You'll wake us up when it's time, won't you?"

"Ah." _Yes, I will._

I kneeled on the chair and stretched to pet his head, before I took my shoes off and snuggled next to Ra-chan. She let go of Usa-chan just a little and slung her arm over me, too. Usa-chan was sandwiched in between us, and I guess that made Usa-chan blush a little- but it was warm and comfy. I yawned, and snuggled into her grip. Ra-chan smelt nice.

_Goodnight, Ra-chan. Sweet dreams._

* * *

AN: BECAUSE some of the host club members are telepathic.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated! So will constructive criticism! :D


	20. Chapter 17

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 18

AN: Hey! Another chapter after a long two days of school! And also a bunch of reviews! Wow, 45! That's like, awesome :D

** supermanisawesome: **Ah! I was thinking about how it might seem dull because I wasn't sure how to alternate my writing styles to fit their personalities. Yeah, I can see Rachel in different pairings, and I'm honestly tempted to just delve into a romantic plot because it'll be so much easier to write, but also a lot less satisfying...

** forteisthebestdynamic: **Yay! I didn't know the story was so exciting XD haha, age is just a number. Or a word, if you'd like to think it that way. Ship! Haha, I guess it's just really cute between the two :D I just thought that the POVs were in order, like some kind of a sequence of emotions based on what the characters represented. I just wanted to end it with Honey because he was cute and child-like, and Rachel was ultimately, a _child_ lost in another world. I guess you could say... that she's... _out of this world_. Ba-dum tssss!

** kso12:** I understand where you're coming from. But it's pretty much a personal thing, because I do think that multiple universes exist, and that while they might be fictional in ours, they're just as real. Think of it as strangers who you've heard all about. They're just there, reachable. It depends on you to find them and inject life into them. Which is pretty much a big thing in this story, and I want Rachel to realise that. I'm also a little frustrated with Hikaru, because, damn, he's so childish.

Oh. Well, if you must know, let's delve deep into the early days when I wrote this fanfiction. This fanfiction was _totally unplanned_. I was planning to write another fanfiction for the same anime- I planned it all out, and even labelled the outline as 'A GROUNDBREAKING OHSHC FANFIC' because I was so proud (?) of it. And then I lost interest; because I didn't know where to start. So instead, another idea popped into my mind. Which was this story. So I took the name of a friend, tweaked it a little, and made her into Rachel Cho. As for 'Mao Fuwa', she was another minor character in the 'groundbreaking' fic, as was 'Makoto Uchihara'. Basically, I took their names out of the outline.

And the throw-book-give-it-back scene was there because I really wanted Mori and Mao to interact, and I wanted Mori/Mao to say the 'stop thinking' phrase. So I decided that the most convenient way was for her to be reading (because her parents are _authors and she's a real science geek)_ and watching Mori because he's hot, and then getting flustered and throwing the book at him. Yeah. I'm sorry if it didn't live up to your imagination XD As for the fic, I'll look out for it!

** Neliel Von Schweetz: **Hey! Check your inbox- just sent you something :D I'm not sure if it's considered 'tips', it's really just a personal opinion! As for Mao's part of the story... Well, it's dreadfully boring, I guess. I mean, my sister went on an exchange programme and all she did was laze around in the bedroom, go out into the streets and walk around. That's all, I guess. But I'll try and see if I can fit another mini interlude! :D

** Guest:** I ENJOYED THE TELEKINESIS TOO :D They're bonded in so many more ways than you'd expect.

And to everyone else, thank you for the reviews! ((also Kso12 I'm sorry for the three paragraphs I hurled up there))

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Enjoy!

* * *

I woke up with my fringe fluffed up and my arms empty. Usa-chan… Combing my fringe while I yawned, I tried to remember where I was and what had happened. I was having a breakdown, Mori carried me, and I fell asleep. Crying always makes me tired. And now that my family's dead, there's really nothing much I can do. People die all the time, anyway. And besides, they're not exactly dead. They're just in The Grey, and once the time is up, we'll be in The Grey, too. But if we manage to restore the universe and the natural law or whatever, then they'll be undead. Like, clicking an undo button on the reaper's list.

But really, where am I right now? It looks like the third music room, but at the same time, the lights are turned off and there's a great big curtain. Could this be a separate room from the main music room? Or maybe this was the second music room. I got up from the couch, put on my shoes, and walked over to the curtains. Everyone seemed to be hushed up outside. I checked my watch. Club time.

_What time is it?_

_Summertime._

Pushing the curtains apart, I winced at the light.

"Ah, Mao-chan's awake!"

"This is she, everyone!" Tamaki's voice rung out throughout the room. "Our new helper!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, shocked. Was I supposed to be waiting behind the curtains? Oh god, everyone's watching.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Tamaki snapped his fingers and shot me an apologetic smile. "Get her changed!"

"No-! What's going on? Kaoru? Hikaru?" And I was dragged towards a changing room.

Apparently, some of the ladies saw Honey sleeping beside me. And got jealous. And all fan-girly. So, to chill them out, I was officially involved in the club. Like a slave. I have gotten myself into the role of a fanservice character. I would have been really happy if I got to cosplay as some of my favourite characters, but a maid outfit with frills was really pushing it. Those outfits are for girls with long and skinny legs with chubby (but not too fat) cheeks and big blue eyes. Not for someone with stumpy legs and tanned skin.

I looked like a clown. Twirling around, I tried to see if I looked flattering from at least one angle. Needless to say, I looked decent, but it just didn't really work for me, or my lack of a figure. And my fringe was being all weird. Still, thank god it didn't reveal any uneven tan lines. I sighed and got out.

"So, the ceiling is what's up," I muttered.

"Oh my god, my daughter looks so lovely!" Tamaki bounced over from where he was and lifted me into a hug. "You're so cute and adorable! Haruhi, I want you to learn from your sister!"

Haruhi gave him a glare, and said stonily, "Put her down, sempai. She's choking."

And that was how I fell onto the ground from at least a metre. On my butt. Honey helped me up, and started chattering about a number of things, mainly sweets.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, though. I'm not a guy, and I can't entertain the guests," I whisper-complained to Honey.

Tamaki appeared from behind me, and said _loudly_, "That's where you're wrong! Did anyone tell you that you're so cute, you're almost at Honey-sempai's level- of course, Honey-sempai still remains our lolita type- which makes _you a 'lovely item'_!"

"…What."

"Which makes you… Kyoya's 'lovely item'!" Tamaki scanned the vicinity before pointing at the Shadow King.

"That," Kyoya started to say, glaring at Tamaki.

"I could just walk around serving tea?" I offered to the King, who was hiding behind me.

"No! That would simply be a waste of talents!" a voice screamed out, and I recognised it as…

Renge started spiralling up with her high-motor platform. When did _she_ join? Was it when the plotline was coagulated and squashed together? Did I even use the first word correctly? Where did _that_ come from?

"What talents?" the twins chorused as they appeared behind me.

"Yeah, what talents- wait, what?" I said. "Hey! I do have some abilities, okay?"

"Look at her! Utterly plain but adorable and even seen to be sleeping with Honey! It's like the little sister of the entire group, which means that you have to be cute and high-pitched and simply adorable to placate the patrons! And everyone has to be a big brother to her so that it'll show off your caring sides! It will also make the patrons think more about your parents' death and evoke their empathy, won't it? And so that makes you… Honey's playmate!"

And then she spiralled down into hell.

Or so I wished. "You're not going to take her seriously, are you? It's pretty much the same as walking around and serving tea. And my voice is naturally low, so-"

"That's wonderful!" Tamaki exclaimed, sparkling. "Saddened by your parents' death, you are a lost soul looking for some comfort, and the Host Club offers you sanctuary!"

I twitched. "No. I _will_ serve tea and walk around, _but_ I will not act like a little kid."

"Ra-chan, Ra-chan, don't you want to play with me?" Honey started sobbing on top of Mori's shoulders.

"Okay, fine, I'll play with you."

"That's the wrong attitude! Don't make me come up _twice_! It's unbecoming!" Renge's voice echoed from below.

How the patrons never minded, I would never know. "I need a change of costumes."

"Geez, don't you know anything? Maid costumes are _always_ in style!" Renge started screaming again.

I swear I could kill someone right now. So instead, I went towards a table which was full of biscuits and tea stuff and placed them onto a trolley carefully. Wouldn't want to be bound to the Host Club via a debt that I'll never be able to repay. I sighed and pushed the trolley around, smiling cheerfully at the patrons. Who were my classmates. Who hated me. Yeah, life sucks, and then you die.

"Eh, isn't that Fuwa-san?"

"Yes," I said meekly. "Would you like some tea?"

"Worchester, please," one of the girls ordered without even looking at me. I rolled my eyes and randomly picked out a cup.

"That's not a Worchester!" she complained as I set the teacup down.

"I'm sorry, but which one is?"

"That one," she said, pointing vaguely at a few cups.

"This one?" I held it up. "Or-?"

She rolled her eyes and turned away from Haruhi. "Can't you even see properly?" she said softly, mockingly. "What, did you honestly think that you could win everyone over just by pretending to be a poor, lost soul who lost her parents? It was so obvious, by the way, when you pretended like you were different from all of us. And now, attempting to seduce the Host Club- now that really shows how _low_ you'd stoop."

I wasn't sure what to do- no one seemed to have caught what she said, so I laughed awkwardly. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Of an author's daughter? You've got to be kidding me," she said quickly, and turned back to face Haruhi.

"That means you're jealous," I muttered under my breath, and chuckled as she stiffened. "Here's your tea."

"Did you even listen to what tea I wanted?"

"Black, right?" I added softly, "Like your heart."

And then she hit the cup out of my hands. It wasn't anything exaggerated, just a slight slap, and the cup flew and crash-landed on the ground. I looked back at her, and realised that she did this on purpose. For once, I was grateful for the fights that happened between my siblings and me; _first to cry wins._ But then again, this _was_ a universe for people like Haruhi to flourish, so maybe crying wouldn't get me anywhere? I didn't realise that she had already started crying, while I stood stiffly.

Well, crap. Screw thinking.

"S-she tried to pour the tea over me- and I tried to dodge- and hit it out of her hands- it was so scary! S-she was so scary!" the girl cried and buried her head in another girl's shoulders.

I just stood there. Okay, this girl just tried to accuse me of hurting her, and she's now making a scene. I believe that this counts as shifting blame on me. Which means I have to act mature, and pretend she's being silly to successfully remove all the blame. Okay, what do I do?

"What did you have against Rin-chan? You're Fuwa Mao, aren't you? The girl who transferred into her class? Why did you try to pour tea over her-?" Oh great, now I have another one trying to accuse me.

"Looks like _Rin-chan's_ a little… disillusioned. I was just trying to pour her some tea, and stumbled over myself- so she thought I was pushing the tea towards her and trying to hurt her. And as a result, she knocked it out of my hands. I'm sorry if you were treated badly and expected to receive harsh treatment from any stranger. Would you please forgive me, _princess_?" I threw in the last word, and knelt down on one knee for fun.

Everyone stared at me for a full minute. I focused on the girl in front of me, and how her eyes were twitching. I've just won. After a moment, everyone moved at least an inch away from me. Okay, so maybe I haven't won? Where were the squeals of 'moe'? Weren't they all super hyped up over their fetishes of gay couples or something? 'Rin' seemed to notice it too, and smirked.

"Are you, like, lesbian or something?"

I stared straight at the other girl who said that. "What?"

"_Ew, that's so disgusting!"_

"_How can she- I thought she was just uncouth!"_

"_Wow, I never thought these people existed!"_

"_Get her away from me!"_

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you guys overreacting? Those twins do that all the time!"

"_Yeah, but it's just disgusting if it's GL."_

"_I know, right! What if she likes us?"_

"_Let's just leave."_

"God, you guys are impossible! Double standards, much? Okay, look, if- if- Tamaki turned into a girl, but was still Tamaki- like, he still acted like Tamaki and stuff- or if the Hosts all turned into girls, would you still like them? Because it's what's on the inside that matters, right? We all love Tamaki because he's loud, unabashed, caring and sincere. And that's what matters, right? Love is love, regardless of gender. Because really, we fall in love with people, and not their reproductive organs!"

The room stayed silent for a moment. I huffed, and marched away- looking as angry as I could with the big fluffy skirt. God, I really hope they got it into their thick skulls. But then again, this _is_ a Host Club. I laughed at myself and the ridiculous get-up I was wearing. Sitting stubbornly in the changing room, I waited to hear some form of support for what I just said. But there was only silence and a few hurried whispers before Tamaki started announcing something in his stupidly loud voice; it was probably rubbish about homophobia and how they were going to close the club. So I tuned out and started undressing and putting my uniform on.

I took a deep breath, and exited the changing room to see that everyone was still in the room and that I was drawing more attention in my life than I would ever again. Oh god, now I need to go and retire in some far-off cave and die alone peacefully without a thousand eyes staring at me. I'm not sure what to say. And I'm not sure what they're going to say. But Tamaki dragged me towards a couch, and everyone within a five-centimetre radius shrunk away, and sat me down.

"Okay, R-_Mao,_ what guy hurt you?"

"Wait, what?" Were they really into _my_ orientation, now?

"Seriously, sempai-" Haruhi started to say, but was stopped by Tamaki's glare.

"Mao, what guy hurt you?" Tamaki repeated.

"I'm not even- okay, you know what, no guy has ever hurt me. I've never even been in a relationship-" I said, and was promptly interrupted.

"No, seriously, Mao. What guy hurt you?" a girl asked softly.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. Listen. Tamaki, what guy hurt you?"

"W-what?" he jumped. "I like girls!" as if that even explained anything.

I shook my head, and said, "Just answer my question. What guy hurt you?"

"There wasn't any guy."

I clapped my hands at the statement, and said exasperatedly, "That's it. No guy hurt me. Do you understand? It's just a matter of preference. If I like someone, I like someone. And that's none of your business, right? In fact, you should be happy if I like someone, because it means that there's love!"

They didn't seem exactly comfortable with that. "B-but, that's _unnatural_!"

"And BL is?" I retorted. "Homosexuality is apparent in more than five hundred species, while homophobia is only present in one."

"W-well…"

"I mean, if it's religion, it's pretty much your own religion. You can't force your beliefs on other people." I shrugged. "I'm not lesbian- I've never gone out on a date, so I don't know what kind of person I'd like. But I think I'm pansexual- I don't actually care about genders when it comes to dating. It's who I am, and I'm comfortable with that. We should learn to be more accepting."

"Precisely! You haven't gone out with anyone, so how are you able to determine your orientation?" Tamaki exclaimed happily, as though he'd just found Haruhi in a bunny-girl suit and happily running over to him.

"Tamaki!" I shouted, recognising that he was about to force another stupid operation on his minions. "Wait! Have _you_ ever gone out with anyone?"

He paused in his actions, and jerkily turned around to face me. I smirked, and settled back into my seat. Good. If I hadn't reacted faster, he'd probably have set up another operation to determine my sexuality. But then again, a date with one of the hosts didn't seem too bad. I combed my fringe and sat back as Tamaki fumbled with his words. Maybe he'd admit his undying love for Haruhi.

And now, the final statement. "See? Heterosexuality still counts as a sexuality. If you haven't gone out on a date with anyone, how would you be able to determine your sexuality?"

He crumbled. I yawned and slouched back into the plushy couch. If I managed to make him question his sexuality it'll be a bonus. Everyone seemed to be digesting the information slowly.

"I mean, it's the same thing as pickles. Sure, you don't like pickles, but someone else does. So what? You can't just stand in and tell them to stop eating pickles."

"I-I like pickles," a girl said softly. "Does that mean I-I-I'm-?"

Another girl stood up and declared, "I like you. I want you to be my host."

"Y-yes, I'd like to designate you as a host, too!"

I jumped up, looking to Kyoya, and shaking my head furiously. He merely smiled and gestured towards the spot where I had been earlier. Oh crap. The broken cup. How much was it? I could just pay off using Mao's trust funds, right? Or something…

"Well," Kyoya said. "We shall be discussing Mao's position as a host. Until then, I believe it is time for the club to close."

* * *

I sat stiffly and groaned as they started an _actual discussion_ about me being a host. Did this actually need discussing? Couldn't they find a better-looking person with radical ideas instead? Honey sat beside me, eating his cake while Mori lingered uncomfortable, stonily glancing over at the discussion table. Haruhi was complaining about how she wouldn't get her homework done, Tamaki and the twins seemed to be very concerned about _my_ sexuality (God knows _why_) and Kyoya was just typing, estimating the pros and cons of having me in the club.

The universe is going to disintegrate one day and they're just talking about me like I'm a permanent fixture in this temporary world.

"Ra-chan, Ra-chan, you haven't touched your cheesecake!"

"I'm eating it now." And the cake was gone.

"Wasn't it fun today?"

"I would hardly consider that as _fun._"

He pouted, stuffing another slice of cake into his mouth. "B-but it was fun. We got to change the culture, save the world, and eat cake! And Ra-chan might be joining the Host Club!"

"Well…"

"It also took some things off your mind, didn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it was okay."

Honey grinned at me, and tilted his head cutely. "Rachel, you can tell us anything if you want to, okay?"

He was calling me by my full name, and that suddenly made him sound his actual age. An overwhelming need to cry filled me, and I choked back my tears, before nodding silently. He was treating me seriously, and somehow that made everything simultaneously worse and better. If he'd just let it go and pretended it was all fluff and cake, then I wouldn't have to remember anything. But now that he dug it up… I guess it provided me with a slight sense of relief. I looked back on the day, and just realised how everything seemed to be getting at me, poking fun at my oblivious little head.

Mori served me another platter of cake, and I dug in. Whatever. Cake is cake.

* * *

AN: so it spiralled into a controversial discussion about sexuality... The original story I was planning to write had two (possibly more) lgbt characters who weren't meant to be paired up with the hosts. Which was why I thought it'd be 'groundbreaking'.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated!


	21. Chapter 18

I Prefer Spearmint: chapter 19

AN: This is a more emotional chapter- for me, and for Rachel.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

* * *

"OPERATION CHEER THE LADY UP IS IN ACTION!"

"Boss, I think you just woke the target."

"What if she's like Kyoya-sempai?"

"Or worse, Honey-sempai"

"Then we'll be doomed!"

"Guys, I think we should apologise to Rachel for taking her out on a Saturday. And besides, she shouldn't be sleeping on Mori-sempai while we're walking." Is that a voice of reason? Must be Haruhi.

I groggily woke up and buried my head in a shoulder. Or chest. Something warm. My powers of deduction are amazing. Wait. 'Sleeping on Mori'? Oh god. Is this the third time I've been blessed by the amazing touch of Morinozuka Takashi? Someone celebrate this holy reunion of two complete strangers who have come together under some bullshit excuse of a universal dilemma.

"Actually, I'm already awake," I declared. "But the real question is, why the heck are you dragging me out on the streets on a _Saturday morning._"

"They're having a town fair, Rachel!" Tamaki exclaimed, shoving a poster in my face. "There'll be lots of sales and commoner food!"

"That is none of my business." I glared at him, sending him hiding behind an equally grumpy Kyoya. "You can go and fetishize over your 'commoner goods' like you want, but leave me out of it."

"Mommy! Our daughter is being rude!"

"Don't. Talk. To. Me."

Tamaki ended up disintegrating on a street while I got off Mori, noticing that Honey was seated on his shoulders. We were standing out a lot, and a lot of teenage girls were crowding around us, taking out their phones to snap photographs. I examined the area around me and wondered how long it would take for me to get home. Feeling my pockets, I realised that I had nothing on me. No money, no key card, no nothing.

"So, what's for sale?" I asked, trying to be cheery about it.

"Apple juice."

I perked up instantly. Oh sweet bread crusts and incestuous grapes, this is the moment I have been living for… amongst many other moments. Let them drink apple juice; let the whole world come to knowledge of the sweetness of apple juice! And I shall lord over the world from above. But before world domination, let us have that apple juice sale to conquer.

"Where are they selling apple juice?"

"There! Let's go, Ra-chan!" Honey jumped off from Mori's shoulders and pulled me randomly in a direction. "C'mon, we have to hurry!"

I ran after him as fast as I could- I was no athlete, so by the time I got to the fair, I was already panting and sweating like a pig. Honey was already charming the pants off the salesperson (figuratively, of course), and I followed after him, opening the fridge full of apple juice to cool down. I looked at the apple juice. Hmm, but I didn't bring my wallet. Eh? What's this… apple grape juice?

"Ra-chan, Ra-chan, what are you looking at? Eh? There's lots of apple juice!" I nodded along with him.

"Yeah! I wish I could buy them all… I didn't bring my wallet though…" Wait, am I sounding like I'm asking for money?

"We could buy them together!"

"N-no, it's okay. I'll just buy it later on my own."

"But that's not okay, Ra-chan. You don't always have to do things on your own," he said, looking at me with puppy-dog eyes as I shut the fridge. "We're here for you."

"And you don't always have to make me out to be the victim here," I snapped, and sighed, combing my fringe. "No, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have snapped."

"It's alright, Ra-chan! C'mon, let's get a bottle of apple juice and then we'll find the rest!"

He randomly took out a bottle and paid for it before sprinting off. I sighed, took a deep breath, and sprinted along. I had no idea where he was going. This was like an Alice-in-wonderland chase! I came to a stop outside an arcade. I peered under the curtain, and saw the twins trying out Dance Dance Revolution. Walking in and trying not to disturb them, I snuck over to the shooting section of the arcade. Wow, it's really loud in here. Mori and Kyoya were attempting a shooting game. It was weird to see Kyoya indulge in any game other than chess, but to be fair, he really wasn't attempting at all. Mori was great at shooting- though he was a little taller than the machine. Where did Honey go?

I trudged along, trying not to alert or distract them, and saw that Tamaki was attempting to catch some weird teddy bear for Haruhi. She stood there listlessly, plugging her fingers into her ears. I smiled at her when she saw me, and she just gave an exasperated look and jerked her head at a disappointed Tamaki.

"Have you seen Honey-sempai?" I mouthed.

"He walked over there."

I nodded and walked over to a racing car section. I was tempted to join him as he started steering the steering wheel, but was side-tracked by a Project Diva machine. I squealed and went over. God, why did I bring my wallet? Oh right- I was dragged out forcefully to be here. Someone tapped the sensor on the machine with a card. I looked up. One of the twins. Probably Kaoru just because Hikaru's a selfish pig. I smiled and nodded my thanks. He went over to the second Project Diva machine and tapped the card on the sensor.

"Battle," he mouthed.

"Game on!" I yelled back.

I had never played in an arcade before, much less on a Project Diva game- but I was sure I was going to kick his ass. Because I was awesome anyway. He waited for me to choose a song, and I hesitated, before deciding on Miku's classic; _World Is Mine._ How fitting. It was a simple tempo-rhythm based game, and I was patient enough to not mess up. I waited, and realised that most of it was on the circle button. I smiled, and focused on my game, tapping my feet to the song. By the time we were done with the song, everyone was crowding around us I checked our scores, and found, to my dismay, that I had lost. Well. World domination wasn't an easy task to begin with.

I smiled sheepishly at him, and Kaoru smiled back.

"Hey, Ra-chan, let's play DDR!" Honey suggested, dragging me towards the Dance Dance Revolution machine.

I laughed and went to the monster of a machine. I had horrible coordination, in general, and would probably end up looking like a big blob trying to tango awkwardly on the dance floor. But today's for fun! And a bit of world domination.

We scrolled through the choices, and we settled on Love and Joy. It was probably the only song I knew from the list. I held onto the railing behind me for dear life and prepared myself for another life-changing event. When the song came on, I gripped onto the railing tighter, and looked over at Honey. He was enjoying himself thoroughly, clutching onto his bunny and just jumping along to the song. This isn't fair! When the first beat came, all hell broke loose as I stumbled over my own feet, mis-stepped onto a platform, and died about ten times.

"Ah! Crap!" I screamed and laughed awkwardly as I stepped onto the wrong platform for the fifth time in a row. "Shit, shit, shit, shit-!"

"Takashi! Cover me!"

And then Honey joined me, taking over the right and bottom arrow platforms for me, while Mori substituted him. I stared, mouth and eyes wide open at the _gorgeous giant_ who was stoically dancing to the pop song, hitting the platform randomly in a professional order. I peeked over at his screen, and broke down laughing. Oh god, Mori was _worse than me._ And he was doing it with such a poker-face. I can't- I don't- how do you even-?

When the song was over, I fell onto the ground like the useless heap of slug I was, Turns out that Honey still won me anyway, because he was already too awesome, and had scored loads of points before Mori took over. I continued laughing, and when I tried to explain why I was laughing, I ended up spluttering and banging my head against the machine.

Honey helped me up and dragged me out of the arcade into the streets. Wait; didn't we come here because of the fair anyway? He passed me the bottle of apple juice, which I destroyed in a minute. I smiled at him- and winced as I felt my cheeks ache from too much happiness. Too much happiness; this has to be some kind of unspoken rule in the world- one has to suffer from too much happiness. A result of life. I nodded solemnly, before recalling Mori's Tarantula legs. And then I died.

This has to be some kind of record- dying so many times in a day.

"It's not healthy," I said to myself, and started chuckling.

"I'm so glad Ra-chan had fun today!" Honey exclaimed, and I hugged him.

I spun around to face the rest of the Host Club, and bowed deeply. "Thank you for today. Operation: 'Cheer the lady up' is a success!"

Tamaki cheered, and I smiled- but caught a head of white hair running off into the crowd. Wait, white hair… The person! That stupid person! There weren't many white-haired people who were able to run at that speed! And so, being me, I chased after her. I wanted more answers, and I was going to get them.

"Wait! Rachel!"

I ducked in between strangers and continued following the white-haired person.

"Stop! That white-haired thing!" I screamed, trying to speed up before my lungs ached.

I came to a pause, when I couldn't find the stranger anymore. Looking around, I tried to spot that stupid thing, and then I saw the boundary. The Grey. A jagged line running through the shop-house, cutting it into half. And people were just walking into it without knowing. I felt the ground beneath me shake, and started to panic. Oh god, I should have brought my phone. My phone- it anchors the ground, and keeps it safe. It keeps me safe.

People were just walking towards it, happily chattering. Someone pushed me, and I stumbled- my left hand barely touching The Grey. It was so _hot_! I shrieked and pulled my left hand out. It looked like a chameleon- as if trying to decide what to look like. I backed away- fanning at my left hand, trying to cool it down. And when it settled, my whole hand was burnt and bleeding, skin tearing- crisp, red skin just peeling and curling, blood oozing out. There's just so much blood! And it was throbbing so hard- as though trying to feel alive, trying to become another being with its own Frankenstein-inspired existence. Stop the blood- how? In through the nose, out through the mouth, calm down- I tried to move my fingers, but I couldn't feel them anymore. God. No, this can't be happening to me. No. God- if this is what happened in a _second_, then Mom and Dad- oh god- no.

I cradled my left hand to my chest, and winced. God, it _hurt_ so badly- how did my hand not fall off? Maybe it was because I was conscious of it, or maybe my phone was rubbing off me. But for now, I needed immediate medical attention for my hand. I looked back at The Grey, and started crying- the people walking into it! They should know! But what would they do if they knew?

"Ra-chan!" Honey called out, and I hid my hand.

"Don't-" I started to say. "The Grey. My hand- it's hurt."

"Your hand's hurt?" Honey asked, and I shook my head, blinking away the tears.

God, I can feel my entire hand just _pulsing_ and throbbing so hard. It doesn't feel alive, though. One, two, one, two… I focused on Honey's eyes. The Host Club drew close behind Honey. One, two, one, two…

"The Grey. Can you see it? It's done _this_," I said, waiting for them to take note of The Grey and its boundary.

It was funny how, when they knew, they saw. And then they backed away. I uncovered my left hand, and waited for the screams. There was nothing, but they all looked stunned, shocked- their fear mirroring mine. One, two, one, two… focus. Focus. The twins pulled me away from The Grey, and Haruhi approached me slowly, cautiously- I recoiled, tears blurring my vision. One, two, one, two… Tamaki dialed a number, and started ordering the members around.

One, two, one, two… I fell onto the ground, still hugging my injured hand. Kyoya knelt down beside me and examined my wounds. I winced and tried not to make too much noise. He muttered something, and told me to calm down. I nodded quickly, and bit my hand. One, two, one, two…

"Okay, Rachel, I want you to drink this." I took whatever Kyoya offered and drank it slowly.

One, two, one- I accidentally took a look at my bloodied hand and the mess it was causing. God, that was gross. My heart sped up, and I panicked again.

"Calm down. Rachel. Look at me. Count slowly. Give me your hand. No, your _left_ hand. Close your eyes, and think of the beach."

I obeyed him, and found it calming. In through the nose, out through the mouth. One, two, one, two… God, it _hurts_. One, two-

"Kyoya," I said softly, gripping onto the bottle tightly with my uninjured hand. "It _hurts so badly_. Give me something to stop it."

He stayed silent, and I was burning inside. Damn the beach. "Give me something to stop it."

More silence. I opened my eyes and glared at him- flexing my fingers and finding that movement only hurt it more. He was tying something tightly around my left wrist, and I hissed. "Kyoya!"

In through the nose, out through the mouth… He looked up at me, and said, "Count aloud."

I kicked my feet- clearly throwing a tantrum- and punched the ground with my knuckles. Gritting my teeth and glaring at him full-force, wishing he was the one who got _his_ hand hurt, I shouted, "Dammit, it hurts! Kyoya!"

He twitched. Good. I was getting to him. I tugged at my shirt collar- it was so hot; it was scorching. Like rage was licking at my skin teasingly- I just wanted relief and cold so much. Someone placed a hand over my eyes.

"Stop thinking."

Mori. I growled, "It hurts. You don't understand- it's hurting, it's _burning_, it's eating me up!"

"Stop thinking," he repeated.

I forced myself to stay still for a few moments. Finally, the sound of an ambulance echoed around the place- I was so damned ready to kill someone now. When I looked at my wrist- tied up and sore- I blanched. The skin underneath the ribbon was turning bluish-black. Someone ushered me into an ambulance, and Kyoya gave me pain-killers. I guess he was a doctor, after all. I swallowed them down eagerly- and waited impatiently. Hurry, hurry, hurry…

"Stop thinking."

The pain was subdued, but it remained throbbing.

* * *

My whole hand was bandaged, and I was given a cast just in case. I looked down at my injury, and shuddered. I couldn't feel my hand under it. I sat on a hospital bed and waited glumly for something to happen. Note to self: never run after strangers. They classified my case as a second-degree burn, but it didn't feel like a second-degree burn. It felt much worse. But then again, I had never gotten a second-degree burn before.

For a moment, I felt like the pain had gotten deeper than just the skin and the bones. It had gotten to my mind- my soul- concepts of nonphysical matter.

"Fuwa-san? You're free to go." I followed after the nurse to find the Host Club waiting.

"Are you alright?" Haruhi asked, running to me.

"Yeah." I walked over to Kyoya, and bowed. "I'm sorry I acted like a brat then."

"It was expected."

And then, another bow to the entire group. "I'm sorry I made all of you worry by running off suddenly."

"It's alright! We're family anyway!" Honey cheered, and hugged me.

I hugged back. "I need to tell you something. At home."

Kyoya arranged for the ride, and we kept silent during the entire ride. They had seen The Grey, and had seen what it could possibly do. And now, I didn't know what to do. It was already dark, and when we huddled into the apartment, I settled for takeout. Tamaki was all for it, and the rest- well- they just weren't very inclined to speak after what happened to my left hand. I was going to do this fast. Fast, short and simple- and then I'd chase them out. They didn't deserve this. And God knows where the boundary extends.

I stood nervously in front of them, and said, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Ra-chan? Does your hand hurt-?"

I shook my head. "My family's dead."

"W-what?"

"My family is dead. Or at least, they're just as good as gone." I took a breath to steady myself. "I barely touched the surface of The Grey, and look what happened to my hand. Since this district is the only place left untouched in both of our universes, we're still safe from being warped. Because of the connection between Mao's and my phone. But it's progressing faster than ever; soon, we'll all be roasted inside that dimensional space. I have no idea how to fix it. It's like a doomsday; only that it's earlier. So. My family's dead. And I know you guys have yours, so I'm chasing you all out. Because you don't deserve to spend your time with a silly girl. You have your commitments and your families, and I appreciate today. Thank you. Now, go home and spend the last days with whomever you have to." I took a deep bow.

I stayed in the position for a while, before someone- Mori threw me over his shoulder, and placed me down on my bed. I tried to protest, but he placed a hand over my eyes.

"Stop thinking. Sleep."

I paused, and then started laughing hollowly- bitterly. "No. That was just the start."

We stayed in silence for a moment, until I decided to break it. This was something I needed to get out of my system. Something I had to sort out, and I guess Mori was- well, Mori was just the perfect person for me to unleash my agony upon. I was selfish, but I guess I wanted to be selfish. With my eyes still shut, I inhaled shakily.

"You know, Mori."

"Ah."

"My older brother died last year."

He removed his hand, and as soon as I got used to the dimness, I realized that he was looking at me with those pitying eyes- the same old sympathy. It was a social construct, and I couldn't blame him.

"No, you must understand that there was no sense of grief at all, Mori. I wasn't upset. I wasn't mourning. Ricky- that was him- was mentally and physically disabled. I didn't get to understand him. He was just… he was just some disabled blunder on my family's financial side, and I just took him for a shadow lurking around in the family photographs. No. But he died- of pneumonia- and it was unexpected. I mean, we knew he was going to die, but when death hits you in the chest… Nobody ever expects it.

"So I had three days of the funeral to attend. It was a torture. Everyone spoke about how wonderful he was, and there I was- there _I_ was, thinking- 'oh god, he couldn't even _think_, why do you keep stuffing your faces full of hypocrisy'? I can't help it, Mori. I wasn't upset for him. Even Roland cried. Everyone was just so upset, and I was having three days of my life robbed from me. It took me months before I could get unacquainted with grief.

"In those three days, I have never _hated_ someone as much as my b-brother. Because I knew he mattered to my family in some way, and some form of normalcy was just broken. Shattered. And I didn't know what to do- I was trying not to let it get to me- the irritation and the madness. I mean, how can someone just _die_ and suddenly begin living in others' lives? How could _he_?" I realized my voice was breaking, and so I tried to breathe normally.

I stayed silent for a few more moments, and thankfully- Mori did too.

"Mori."

"Ah."

"Mori. After his death, I thought about him a lot. Not about _him_, but about having an older brother. Someone to pamper me. Maybe if he were normal- ordinary- _functional_, even- maybe I would still have an older brother. Someone absurdly protective of me- and whenever I walked down the streets, I would see guys returning from the army, and I would think- what if I had a brother like that. And- I thought that _he robbed me of the brother I was supposed to have_.

"I felt guilty for thinking like that- but for me, he was never alive. He shouldn't have to torment me like that. Not when he didn't even _matter_. He doesn't even- I don't- I mean- I'm over it now. I'm over it as much as I can-"

"You're not over it."

I stayed silent, and sat up. "Yeah. I'm not."

He placed a hand on my head, and ruffled my hair. "Rachel, you can't be blaming yourself just because you're feeling something. You can't help your emotions. And maybe accepting your emotions is something you need to do."

I smiled at him through my tears. Wiping them away, I nodded. "You know, Mori- I wish you were my brother."

"You have all of us."

My heart felt so empty and so heavy at the same time- and it was just beating steadily. I didn't know what to think of that. It's been a year- but I don't think I want to face it- because not even time can heal wounds. Unless I wanted it to heal, I couldn't start. And maybe this pain- this blind, raging hurt was the start for me to heal.

"I want to ask a favour from you, Mori." I waited until he nodded. "Can I hug you?"

Without waiting, I lunged myself at him, and squeezed- squeezed so hard- because I felt like I was breaking apart, and for now- I needed someone to help me deal with my messed-up mental life. And maybe indulge a little in the fantasy of having an older brother who would be there for me. Mori hugged back, stroking my back, and I started to cry again- the tremors and the vibration running up my body again.

I remembered reading something from Twilight (granted, it wasn't a particularly classical or elaborate work): a clean break- it makes healing easier.

I fell apart, again, letting the splinters just fall and chip away.

* * *

Reviews: if you feel so moved.


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